Between the 12th and 17th April 2025 Hereford and Worcester ACF (HWACF) took part in Exercise Forest Adventurer, which was a 6-day multi activity package delivered in the Forest of Dean and Abergavenny. On this occasion we opted for a number of activities that the cadets may not have engaged with before and so used a company Called ‘Life Changing Activities’ to deliver the majority of the package. Moving forward, our plan is to make this a biannual feature in our calendar and to develop the interest in adventurous training activities 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 activities included:
Mountain Bike Orienteering (Forest of Dean)
Survival skills and Raft Building (Forest of Dean)
Gorge walking (Clydach Abergavenny)
Outdoor Climbing/ Bouldering and Abseiling (Llangattock Abergavenny)
The Ulysses Trust grant supported 50 cadets on their adventure week, where they all enjoyed 6 days of activities, evening activities and a range of teambuilding, confidence-building tasks. When I spoke to the cadets’ parents, they all suggested that cost was the main contributing factor in them supporting their children’s attendance, as they wanted their children to attend this package knowing it would help them develop skills they can no longer develop in an educational setting. They also suggested that a similar package delivered through the school would cost over £100 per child. With support from the Ulysses Trust and other organisations, the cadet contribution for this trip was £35. Several of the parents also thanked HWACF for allowing them to pay in stages as £10-£15 a month was far more manageable than payment schemes offered by the schools.
Out of the 50 cadets that attended only a handful had completed the previous AT package that we have delivered. Therefore, in order to ensure that every cadet was engaged from the start of the Instruction, the activity provider supported the activities with additional Instructors, which allowed cadets with prior experience, the opportunity to tackle larger climbs and take more of a leadership role in the activity. One of the cadets, Cadet Cpl ID from Bromyard Platoon, asked where the financial support had come from. After I had answered, she said:
“The support the organisation had given really had changed young people’s lives. I have made new friends and I am now more confident around people which is something I never thought I would be able. I have made some great memories this week.”
