The Salopian - Winter 2021

SCHOOL NEWS
29
CCF SUMMER CAMP 2021
The happy group about to enter Cwm Penmachno slate mine in North Wales
The CCF offers lots of opportunities for courses and
camps to the 100 or so members and we encourage all
pupils to take part in these. Our Summer Camps always take
place during the first week of the long summer break and aim to
provide a fun and developmental experience for our cadets.
We are fortunate that each year the military offer some
‘central’ camp facilities to us. However, this summer we
decided to do our own thing. Although this entailed a
significant amount of advance paperwork, it did mean we
were able to use our extensive contacts to more carefully
calibrate the events to suit our aims. This fits with the core
purpose of CCF, which is to provide challenging experiences
to develop character, resilience and leadership skills. Having
delivered these camps for over 25 years, I feel confident that
our modus operandi of using a military format to put young
people in charge of others can unlock for those cadets the
challenge that is leadership, especially when done with a
sense of fun and adventure.
Our decision to run our own six-day programme was
vindicated, albeit sadly for other schools, by the cessation of
some national MOD-run activities. The 25 CCF members on
our school-run programme were able to enjoy an actionpacked
week. We spent three days ‘in the field’ at Nesscliff
Training Area, after which we moved to Talargerwyn in
Snowdonia for an adventure training phase.
Throughout the week we rotated cadets through command
appointments, putting them in charge of their peers. We
were lucky to have some relatively experienced Lower Sixth
Formers who were able to provide the background structure
we needed, but
we rotated these
positions quite
frequently. The
staff agreed that
the cadets were
superb and were a
great group to deal
with – enthusiastic
and willing to get
stuck in. After a
very truncated year
of CCF training,
they were clearly
enjoying getting
involved again, and
the week was a great success. As ever, I am grateful to those
cadets who signed up to attend – and they seldom regret the
decision – but also to the staff who gave up their own time to
support the event.
Some highlights for me were the camouflage skills day
provided by soldiers of the Royal Irish Rangers Sniper
Platoon, involving a ‘hunt Col David element’; the day-long
walk along the famous Nantle ridge in Snowdonia; and our
slate mine exploration finale in Cwm Penmachno.
Cadets who wish to reserve places on future camps (Easter
and Summer 2022 are now available) should contact me.
Lt Col Nick David
Contingent Commander Shrewsbury School CCF