Longhill School CCF – the cadet year so far

We have had a good few months off the back of our successful Central Camp at Crowborough in the summer. September saw our recruitment drive starting to take affect with numbers on the rise. We used the start of the term and the rest of September to build up our skill at arms knowledge (for the new recruits) and our field craft knowledge base (the seniors) in preparation for October Camp.

October half term was two weeks this year, so forcing our camp to run earlier than usual. It was however, a very successful camp, in which we took six new recruits along with the rest of our contingent. During the camp the cadets took part in many activities, ranging from first aid and tackling the obstacle course to a 24 hour field exercise. However, the bulk of our camp was spent at Hythe Ranges. Over the two range days the cadets took part in the following:

• Day 1 was marksmanship training and fire control, improving their individual shots.
• Day 2 was patrolling and operating in the mock village and fort, conducting fire patrols and room clearance.

The focus of this camp was to allow the "newbies" to see a range of the military skills that we undertake and for the NCOs and potential NCOs to take on command roles they may not have tried before. As a result of some fantastic leadership skills being demonstrated, there were a couple of promotions which were very well earned and appreciated.

November was "Remembrance Season". At the start of the month we focussed on Remembrance and helping out the Royal British Legion. For the first two weekends of the month our cadets and staff sold poppies at Brighton Marina. In previous years we have managed to raise well over £3000, so we are looking forward to seeing how much we have helped this year.

On Remembrance Day itself, a total of 15 cadets were invited to the Armistice Service at Brighton's Blink Veterans UK centre. This was a lovely service, with our cadets staying afterwards to speak with all the residents and listen to their stories. It was only when we had to leave that the cadets were pulled away.

On Remembrance Sunday we took to our local parade at Rottingdean. The turn out this year was fantastic. We were, as always, a main focus of the parade representing the military and portraying a fantastic impression to both the veterans and the local community. I must say, during this "Remembrance Season", I am so very proud of our cadets and all that they do.

Now we look to the Duke of Edinburgh award during the build up to Christmas. It has been a few years since we have been able to run this, so we are very excited to have it up and running again. We are starting to look at potential routes for expeditions and will soon be writing up route cards.

I wish to finish by thanking all the senior NCOs we have that help the contingent run and of course to our adult staff who come and help us without hesitation. We look forward to 2018!