NPTC Group of Colleges – Combined Cadet Force
When a couple of years ago through our senior management we were asked as public services staff if we could set up a CCF in our college, through the Cadet Expansion Program I was all for it. My view was and is that the CCF would be too good an opportunity to miss for our students. Following subsequent meetings with our Cadet Expansion Officer and a friend I had served with who was SO2 Cadets in our Brigade, it was as if the stars had aligned and I was quickly finding myself willing and keen to become a Cadet Force Adult Volunteer (CFAV). Once I was sold the dream I was hooked.
I was subsequently appointed (or “Voluntold” as some might say!) as the Contingent Commander of the new college CCF. Then the real hard work to get it off the ground began.
In September 2020 we will be going into our first full year as a college CCF but let me tell you a little about our experiences to date. This is what have we been up to as a Contingent.
- Recruited our own SSI who has been instrumental in getting us going.
- Recruited students from the college for the CCF.
- Worked closely with our Brigade Cadet Training Team who have trained and guided us in the right direction with their expertise and wisdom.
- With invited dignitaries from the Cadet world and civil society we held a successful formation parade in the college.
- Affiliated to 157 (Welsh) Transport Regt RLC who have brought us into the fold and supported us superbly. They even awarded our Cadets their Regimental Stable Belts for which the cadets were ‘chuffed to bits.’
- Attended Brigade summer camp at Penally in West Wales.
- Completed Remembrance activities, including a hike to a remote site in the Brecon Beacons to pay our respects at the site of a Canadian World War Two Bomber, that sadly crashed losing all those on board.
- Conducted the usual cadet training at our weekly Wednesday afternoon parades fully supported by our local CTT.
- We have completed some training weekends with other CCF’s, including shooting the Cadet GP Rifle, as well taking part in a Cadets Climbing Competition.
- Our cadets were also lucky enough to have a weekend visit to London thoroughly well organised by our SSI. This included a visit to see the Tower of London. In addition, we saw the Ceremony of the Keys and earlier in the day we were hosted superbly by the Welsh Guards at Wellington Barracks for a fantastic day out there.
- In my other capacity being the Managing Director and founder of Teamforce (UK Ltd) Activity Centre I have been able to persuade our Laser Tag Manager and Subject Matter Expert, Paul, to let me use ‘his’ Laser Tag Equipment (LTE) free of charge with our cadets in college.
Now of course I am biased but being able to call regularly on the use of the Laser Tag equipment from Teamforce it has been a real bonus for our cadets and CFAV’s. With the Cadet GP rifle not being available to us from the outset because of the well documented issues, we have managed to enhance the Cadet Experience with the benefits of integrating the Laser Tag equipment into some of our training with the cadets.
Not only can training with the LTE benefit the cadets in fieldcraft, teamwork and shooting, they can be incentivised by the lure of a couple of games of Laser Tag just for fun in our college indoor training arena. In addition, all of this can be achieved without any safety issues to concern a Training Safety Adviser. It is hassle free and safe to use at short notice with cadets of all ages, as well as with CFAV’s who fancy trying to be top of the leader board.
So, as you can see, we have managed to pack plenty in during our first 15 months as a new CCF and the future is looking promising. Then of course the Covid 19 emergency started and that has of course disrupted us the same as the rest of the country. We are however busy planning for when we can start back to college and get our cadets training again.
Amongst others, one of our plans is to host a competition at our college with other CCF’s we met on our last summer camp, as well as members of 157 Regt RLC who fancy their chances! The plan is to have a round robin of events such as Indoor Climbing, Volleyball, Tug of War, Archery and Laser Tag Gaming and so on. That will give all of the cadets and CFAV’s a day to look forward to after the nationwide lock down ends.
The whole experience of being involved with cadets and the UK Cadet Forces has been personally invigorating and more importantly a real benefit to some of our less than confident young students. Even though we are an FE/HE college and only have our cadets from 16 to 18 years old at the moment, many of them have grown and matured into confident and focused young adults. Our SSI recently had a particularly touching handwritten letter from one of our cadets, who thanked him and the contingent for giving her the confidence and resilience to face life’s challenges. For me that has made the whole journey so very worthwhile and speaks volumes about the benefit of Cadets for our young people.
Long may it continue.
Simon Adams
Contingent Commander
NPTC Group of Colleges CCF
