I am pleased to report back on a successful Bronze Duke of Edinburgh assessment weekend – the first Duke of Edinburgh assessment weekend our squadron has run since 2012. Thanks to your support, we were once again able to make this happen at minimal cost to parents/carers – in an area of high financial deprivation, this has been critical to providing equity of opportunity ensuring that all those that were eligible completed the weekend.
Over the weekend, the two groups completed two full days of walking covering a total of 27km exploring 7 small churches in the Lincolnshire Wolds. The weather gave us an extra challenge with nice weather on Saturday turning to heavy rain on the Sunday. Having learnt from their practice weekend, they showed great teamwork and resilience to cover a big distance despite the weather.
By the end of the weekend, every cadet successfully completed the requirements of their expedition. Despite blisters, muddy conditions and the rain, morale stayed high (although they were very glad to see the finish!)
“That was tough, but we did it, I can’t believe it…I’ve never walked so far and honestly didn’t think I could” Cadet Participant
It’s hard to overstate the massive impact of the Ulysses and RAF Charitable Trusts’ support this year. The tangible achievements speak for themselves, more importantly the change in Squadron morale (cadets and staff) is palpable. And we’ve just successfully recruited another 12 cadets, doubling the size of the unit – this all builds on the ‘offer’ we now have in place, with your support.
