Between the 10th and 17th February 2024 Hereford and Worcester ACF (HWACF) took part in Exercise Venturer Snow cub which was an 8 day travel and ski programme in the Pyrenees. This is the first time that HWACF had ever embarked on a Skiing activity and because of to this, we engaged a civilian Company, Inspireski, to arrange the package for us. Moving forward, our plan is to make this a permanent feature in our calendar and to develop the interest in skiing for both cadets and CFAVS in the County. Our ultimate goal is to have sufficiently trained staff to deliver this package independently and we see this package as the foundations for our growth.
The Ulysses Trust grant supported 43 cadets on their adventure to the Pyrenees where they all enjoyed 5 days of guided Ski Instruction, a number of evening activities where they engaged with both Spanish and English young people of a similar age and sampled a range of Spanish cuisine that was offered at the hotel that accommodated us for the duration of our stay. Ten of the cadets had never travelled abroad before. When I spoke their parents, they all suggested that cost was the main contributing factor linked to only holidaying in the UK and that they wanted their children to attend Snow Cub as they could easily identify the value of the trip, not just in its cost but also the skills and experiences their children would gain. With the support from the Ulysses Trust and other organisations, the cadet contribution for this trip was £380. Cadet Cpl Michael Cook said ‘many of the cadets from Ross on Wye Platoon wouldn’t have been able to afford this sort of trip if it had been organised through their schools as those activities usually cost over £1000’. Several of the parents also thanked HWACF for allowing them to pay in stages over the period of 12 months as 30 – 40 pound a month was far more manageable that the payment schemes that had been offered by the schools.
The main effort of the fundraising, for this event, was controlled through the Hereford and Worcester ACF Charitable Trust. I met with them, in advance of approaching and of the ski companies and gave them a business plan linked to the overall costs of the activity. The business plan gave an overview of the activity, the number of cadets that would be engaged and overview of the general aims and objectives of the trip. During this meeting it was agreed that they would offer approximately £190 per cadet and we confirmed the support the cadets could offer to fundraising activities. These included a fundraising Curry Lunch which was supported by over 100 guests. During this event the cadets delivered information stands and spoke after lunch about their experiences. The cadets also supported the Trust to fundraising at a range of musical events and a Christmas Carol event held in Worcester. Using this business case as a foundation, I also approached a number of other organisations asking for their financial support. In total, we managed to raise over £30K. During the three parents information events that I delivered, I was approached by a number of parents who suggested that without the financial support, they would never have been able to afford for their child to go.
Out of the 43 cadets that attended only 4 had any prior experience of skiing. In order to ensure that every cadet was engaged from the start of the Instruction, the Ski School offered the group additional ski Instructors which allowed those cadets with prior experience, the ability to tackle the larger slopes from day one. By the end of the week, that group had doubled in size. Although the cadets had to overcome their fears of falling, of looking foolish and of heights, all 43 managed to use the chair lift to the top of the mountain and managed to safely ski back down to the ski centre by the end of the fourth day of Instruction. One of the cadets, Cadet LCPl Jess Perry from Rubery Troop, asked where the financial support had come from. After I had given my explanation she said:
‘The support the organisations had given really had changed young people’s lives. I have made new friends, both Spanish and English, I can now ski which is something I never thought I would be able to do and I feel that I have developed communication skills too as there are people on the trip that I have never met before do but we now all get on so well. I will keep the memories of this week with me for ever’.
Cadet LCPl Jess Perry from Rubery Troo
