The Volunteer - NWRFCA - Northwest Reserve Forces & Cadets ...

GREATER MANCHESTER
ACF
Recruiting Day
GMACF has over 1600 army cadets in 45
detachments spread across Greater Manchester
and finding, training and retaining the adult
instructors necessary to keep the organisation
running smoothly is a constant task.
In a step to achieving this goal, GMACF held
an Adult Recruiting Day at the County’s HQ
at University Barracks in central Manchester.
The day was attended by over 30 prospective
male and female candidates, some of whom
were former cadets, others veterans of the
Regular or Reserve Forces, and yet others with
no previous involvement with the armed forces,
but who had expressed an interest in youth
development in Greater Manchester.
Those who decide to continue with their
application will go on to a training programme
where they will learn the essentials of the cadet
training syllabus and the responsibilities of
adult instructors, before being posted to their
detachments.
Those who might have missed this
presentation need not despair, but should
contact the County Executive Officer at
University Barracks, Manchester by telephoning
0161 237 3739.
Cdt Sgt Jordan
Ramsbottom
prepares for life
with the Regulars
STRETFORD CADET
PREPARES FOR LIFE
IN REGULAR ARMY
Cdt Sgt Jordan Ramsbottom, 17, from
Stretford has been serving in GMACF for
five years, having joined when he was
a student at Sale High School. He has
thoroughly enjoyed his time with the
ACF and put his time there to good effect.
He has earned a number of important
qualifications, which will benefit him
in his career after college. Among these
are his St John Ambulance course, his
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s award and a
Senior Cadet Instructor’s Course, which
has given him useful instructional skills.
Most useful has been his BTEC award
in Public Services, which gave him the
qualifications he needed to graduate from
Sale High to Trafford College where he has
recently completed a NVQ in Uniformed
Services.
Jordan will have the opportunity to take
many of these skills and qualifications to
the next level when he reports for training
with the Regular Army at Catterick. On
completion of initial training there, he
hopes to be posted to the 2nd Battalion of
the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
NEW DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR GMACF
Oldham-based teacher, Glyn Potts has recently
been appointed Dep Comdt of GMACF.
Glyn was born into a service family and had
originally planned a career in the regular forces
after savouring some of the experiences of
his father, a senior NCO in the Royal Artillery,
based for a number of years in Germany. During
his time as an under-graduate at Lancaster
University, Glyn joined his local University
Officers’ Training Corps as an OCdt.
It was during this time that he attended a
Cadet Force Annual Camp at Folkestone. This was
his first introduction to cadets and he enjoyed
it so much that on his return to university he
continued to provide training assistance to the
locally-based Lancashire ACF in Lancaster and
later Garstang. By this time he was hooked on
teaching and youth development, and moving to
Manchester after graduation, he joined GMACF
where he served with detachments at Failsworth,
Belle Vue, Levenshulme and Ardwick. He has also
served as the County Education Officer, where
he developed the highly successful BTEC course
in Uniformed Services, which has led to dozens
of cadets and their instructors gaining useful
qualifications.
New Dep Comdt, Lt Col Glyn Potts
32 THE VOLUNTEER www.nwrfca.org.uk