During the Bank Holiday weekend of 02 – 05 May some 140 cadets and 46 staff from Trent Wing RAFAC descended on Barn Farm Campsite at Birchover in the White Peak for the first Trent whole Wing DofE Expedition weekend since Covid. The weekend followed the successful format run by Derbyshire Sector over the past three years, but the extra numbers added a significant admin burden to the expedition, not least the fact that 6 new routes had to be recce’d in advance by the planning team to accommodate what was now 22 teams of cadets.
The weekend was a mix of Bronze training and assessed expedition, Silver training and practice expedition and Silver assessed expeditions with 21 out of 26 Sqns in the Wing represented. Many of the teams were mixed across Sqns meaning the cadets had to work together in advance to complete their planning and build new friendships over the weekend for successful outcomes. A number of the staff and 4 of the senior cadets on the Directing Staff were taking their first steps towards gaining National Governing Body (NGB) Qualifications by logging some Quality Lowland Days whilst supervising the cadets. It was also a great networking opportunity for staff from different Sqn to exchange ideas and plan future events for the cadets’ benefit.
The weekend itself was a huge success on the whole. The weather was mainly kind with clear skies for much of the weekend although this did mean that it got quite chilly at night and the cadets, as expected, were well behaved and drew positive comments from the campsite owners and other campers.
The routes selected were steeped in history and folklore including the Limestone Way, Robin Hood’s Stride (also of the Princess Bride film fame), Hermits Cave, Lathkill Dale, Haddon Hall and Chatsworth Estates and picturesque villages such as Winster, Bonsall and Yougrave. The cadets coped well with the navigation, benefiting from a training day for most on the Saturday, and good campcraft and cooking skills making the directing staffs’ jobs pretty easy.
The weekend was greatly subsidised by the Ulysses’ Trust and RAF Charitable Trust keeping it both affordable for the cadets and meaning were able to build resources such as maps and trackers to ensure safe expeditions could take place elsewhere in the Wing in the future.
Wing DofE Officer Sqn Ldr Gill Wills said
“This was a daunting undertaking and I’d like to thank all the staff that gave up their Bank Holiday weekend to provide the opportunity for the cadets, but in particular the planning team who spent many hours doing recces on routes, sorting paperwork, catering, driving and everything needed to make the weekend run. Some lessons have been learned for next year for sure but, on the whole, it was a successful and enjoyable weekend. It was nice to see so many Sqns represented and if we are to repeat 2024/25’s success as a Wing, weekends like this and getting more staff qualified are essential. The bigger challenge now is to convert these expeditions into full awards”.
Planning for two more Wing expedition weekends concentrating on Silver and Gold Practices and Assessments are in full swing for September and October 2025 so watch this space for more news!
The Ulysses Trust also wish to thank the generosity of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust for supporting this expedition. www.rafct.com
