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4 LANCS OPEN DAY SUCCESS Corporal Dave Liptrot teaching Susan Whiston how to blow a bugle call. ‘A’ (LADYSMITH) COMPANY, 4th Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment’ (4 LANCS) held its first open day for several years. The day was designed to allow members of the public to come and see what the Territorial Army do, whilst also seeking to attract some new recruits. The event was a great success. A constant flow of visitors turned up to A Company’s Territorial Army Centre on Townsend Avenue, Norris Green, and all the feedback was positive. Several veterans returned to see how their old unit was doing and most brought their children or grandchildren with them, so they could see a little bit of what the Army does. A (Ladysmith) Company had set up a series of interest stands that included, British and foreign weapons, recovery of a Land Rover, using night vision goggles, and of course a field kitchen serving hot dogs and burgers. The youngsters who attended, especially enjoyed getting involved with the Pipes and Drums, and an impromptu band was set up to briefly entertain the hall. A (Ladysmith) Company’spokesman, 2Lt Paul Athanassiadis said: “Our open day has undoubtedly been a great success. As a recruitment drive we have received several new applicants. However, the most positive outcome of today is that we have had the opportunity to invite the local community into our workplace, to give them a better idea of what it is the Territorial Army do and to highlight our wider role within the British Armed Forces.” In the Signals section, Kaitlyn Owens (6) with Kingsman Mark McGinn Paula Ashton from West Derby admires the impressive collection medals that have been presented to Corporal Tony Canavan who has served all over the world One of the Medical Team with ‘Patient’. Cpl Wright Anyone who was unable to attend the event but would still like to enquire about joining 4 LANCS, can come and visit the unit on any Tuesday evening between 19.30 & 21.30. 20 THE VOLUNTEER www.nwrfca.org.uk
4 LANCS 4 LANCS hit the slopes BY 2 LT KEELING & WO2 MCGRATH FOLLOWING an epic journey of 21 hours from Blackburn TAC to the heights of Samoens, by use of the Channel Tunnel, we arrived safely. The Exercise is an annual event held on the slopes of the Grand Massif, France. The team consisted of 17 people commanded by Capt ‘Sped’ Lydiate. Accommodation was self-catering apartments within a typically ornate chalet building at the LaGrange Hotel complex. This was ideally located only five minutes drive from the Samoens Grand Massif Express. The resort is recommended for any future adventure training in the Grand Massif area, summer or winter. The weather was overcast on the way down and continued to be change, showing all four seasons in one week. The team were not disappointed! The first day was spent getting our ski legs and giving the non-skiers familiarisation training. After the first full day’s skiing all were tired but morale was high. The team soon gelled and started training on basic ski techniques. After a full day on the slopes Cpl Barrett’s team were confident they could endure another day. After a decent night’s sleep the group were in attack mode for the slopes. The mild weather continued to have a sugary effect on the slopes. The beginner’s group, working towards their Basic Ski Award, were taken off to Flaine. The trip pushed the boundaries and placed members outside their comfort zones, building confidence. The CO and Maj Callaghan joined the second group in the afternoon to practise on more demanding slopes at a much more rigorous pace. The day finished with a ‘wash’, confidence improving and all talking about the day’s events. The weather changed Wednesday morning with heavy rain in the afternoon and visibility poor. However it was another successful day on the slopes. Everyone continued to benefit from the lessons and became even more confident and competent. The snow was wetter than previous days and seemed harder to ski on. Another tiring day was concluded by quality hot meals from the aspiring chefs in the group. The beginner’s group got some classroom lessons that evening as part of their Basic Ski Award and all were well on their way to meeting the standard required. The other group had the opportunity to get a little higher on the slopes, and try some of the more challenging pistes, with very undulating runs. The challenging environment saw an increase in wipeouts; this just boosted morale and although it was a hard days skiing, all were pushed to the limits. It was still raining heavily on the Thursday but in true Brit style we embarked on the daily trip up the mountain to find a ‘white out’ and awesome snow. This proved extremely testing even for the advanced skiers. Visibility was poor and at times it was hard to establish and reference point to navigate a safe route down the slopes. The result was another hard day but sadly it only left use more day of skiing. And what a fantastic day it was! The glorious chilly weather and the snow conditions were perfect. All managed to hit the slopes with the expected erupting enthusiasm. The picturesque landscape was viewed from the chair lifts above the cloud cover, the sun hitting Mt Blanc in all her glory. The two groups met at the summit of Flaine for lunch and for the first time spent the afternoon together to complete the exercise. We celebrated with a final meal and then set off on the dreaded 20 hour road trip back home. www.nwrfca.org.uk THE VOLUNTEER 21
Page 1: THE OFFICIAL FREE MAGAZINE OF THE R
Page 4 and 5: PEOPLE & PLACES AGM The extensive r
Page 6 and 7: PEOPLE & PLACES CADETS HONOURED FOR
Page 8 and 9: PEOPLE & PLACES Tri-Service Cadets
Page 10 and 11: PEOPLE & PLACES Intensive training
Page 12 and 13: PEOPLE & PLACES Doddy salutes 156 T
Page 14 and 15: GUNNERS T THE 103 REGT RA
Page 16 and 17: 103 REGT RA The winner’s of the W
Page 18 and 19: 207 FD HOSP ‘207’ EMOTIONAL WEL
Page 22 and 23: TA Peak performance from TA in Anta
Page 24 and 25: C SQN RMLY EXERCISE YEOMAN TRACKER
Page 26 and 27: C SQN RMLY EXERCISE YEOMAN EAGLE C
Page 28 and 29: C SQN RMLY EXERCISE YEOMAN EAGLE Ju
Page 30 and 31: CHESHIRE ACF GREATER MANCHESTER ACF
Page 32 and 33: GREATER MANCHESTER ACF Recruiting D
Page 34 and 35: LANCASHIRE ACF NCO Cadre at Holcomb
Page 36 and 37: ACF Cumbria shooting team selection
Page 38 and 39: MERSEYSIDE ACF The Mayor and Consor
Page 41 and 42: CHESHIRE ACF A Typical Detachment N
Page 43 and 44: STOCKPORT ATC Top Cadets achieve BT
Page 45 and 46: ATC Upton Squadron celebrate succes
Page 47 and 48: LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY OTC RAC weeken
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Page 51 and 52: MANCHESTER AND SALFORD UNIVERSITY O
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Page 55 and 56: HANG ABOUT WITH THE KIDS IT OFFERS
Page 57 and 58: SHOULDERING RESPONSIBILITY HAS ITS
Page 59 and 60: ADVERTORIALREMOUNT RETURNING FROM A
Page 61 and 62: SaBRE We’re all stronger with Res
Page 63 and 64: TA DIRECTORY RNR/RMR Lancashire Gre
Page 65 and 66: Sea Cadet Corps DIRECTORY North Wes
Page 67: Air Training Corps DIRECTORY Wales

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