Lion cub Abenteuer. Hereford and Worcester ACFs action packed adventure to Bavaria.
Between the 25th July and 1st August 2026 Hereford and Worcester ACF (thwack) took part in Exercise Venturer Lion Cub Abenteuer which was an 8 day travel and activity programme in Bavaria. This is only the second time that thwack had ever embarked on an overseas expedition and on this occasion we engaged with the Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training and one of their usual activity providers in Sonthofen (Outdoor Zentrum) which is situated approximately an hour’s drive from Munich. Outdoor Zentrum are, without doubt, the best activity provider I have ever worked with. The support and communication, from the initial planning stages to the completion of the week, was outstanding. They were happy to engage with local organisations to support the planning around transport, entry fees and group bookings which reduced the amount of finalising that I needed to conduct in the first 24 hours. This meant that the trip was enjoyable for both the CFAVs and the Cadets.
The Ulysses Trust grant supported 32 cadets on their adventure to Bavaria where they all enjoyed 6 days of activities, a number of evening activities and introduced them to traditional Bavarian cuisine. Six of the cadets had never travelled abroad before. When I spoke to 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 Lion Cub Abenteuer 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 Ulysses Trust and other organisations, the cadet contribution for this trip was £450.00.
Cadet Bdr Rozier from Gheluvelt Battery said,
“Many of the cadets from the County 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 £1,000’.”
Several of the parents also thanked thwack for allowing them to pay in stages over the period of 12 months as £30 – £40 a month was far more manageable than 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 any of the providers 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 an overview of the general aims and objectives of the trip. During this meeting it was agreed that they would offer approximately £270 per person 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 parent’s information events that I delivered, a number of parents suggested that without the financial support, they would never have been able to afford for their child to go.
Due to the early travel times, the first day was mainly spent travelling and relaxing. We then broke the cadets into four groups based loosely around their home detachment and company groups, this ensured the cadets felt comfortable about embarking on the activities as none of the 32 cadets had ever engaged with the activities we had planned for the package. The package include:
A half-day Gorge walk followed by a swim at the local pool that had slides, inflatables, wave machines and heated outside pools.
A four-day rotation that saw the cadets participating in Kletersteig Climbing where they followed steel ropes, pins and ladders up the rock faces in the Oberjach valley.
The cadets Canoed along the Iller River for a day, they participated in White Water Rafting on the Lech River and completed a canyoning activity that saw them climbing and abseiling down waterfalls and jumping into deep plunge pools.
The week concluded with a cultural visit to the Berchtesgaden and the Eagles Nest where the cadets learned the history behind the landmark and experienced the fantastic views from the top of the mountain it is situated on.
One of the cadets, Cadet CSM Logan Clarke from Rubery Troop, asked where the financial support had come from. After I had given my explanation, he said,
“The support the organisations had given really had changed young people’s lives. I have made new friends; I have tried new activities that I never thought I would be able to. I also feel that I have developed communication skills too as there are people on the trip that I have never met before but we now all get on so well. I will keep the memories of this week with me forever.”
As a county, we now feel that we have a warm and a cold activity package template to use on a biannual basis. We feel that the cadets should use these activities to continue to develop their ‘life skills’ and as such chose activities where they will be able to develop their teamwork, leadership and communication whilst thoroughly enjoying themselves with their friends. The continued support from the Ulysses Trust will support that approach and hopefully continue to help the young people, in Hereford and Worcester ACF, develop their life skills in years to come.
