The national Cadet Training Centre (CTC) Frimley Park in Surrey trains Adult Instructors in the Army Cadet Force and the schools-based Combined Cadet Force (Army), helping new recruits understand the cadet movement’s ethos and teaching them to train their cadets effectively and safely. Taking over CTC Frimley Park for three consecutive weeks, the Cadet Leadership Course (CLC) is renowned throughout the Cadet movement for being an all-inclusive, action-packed course to remember. It is aimed at all suitably-qualified cadets over 16, excited at the prospect of a week of arduous physical and mental challenges. Lauren Stephens from Rosall School CCF, Lancashire, attended this year’s CLC, and shared her experience with us…
Lauren Stephens, Rossall School CCF
My week at Frimley CLC was intense and tested everything I have ever learned in CCF. To add to my initial excitement there were 20 of the best cadets from Canada on the course, as well as people from all over the UK and Ireland. Every day we had reveille at 0500hrs followed by breakfast at 0600hrs and by 0730hrs we had begun training.
Over the week we did a very wide range of activities including two ‘log runs’, two obstacle courses, two platoon attacks, an ambush in the middle of the night, command tasks and a two night exercise with no showers or plumbed in toilets! We also had inter-platoon competitions such as tug of war and volleyball. Each evening we had an hour of free time where we socialised and took the opportunity to compare our cadet experiences. Surprisingly, we all found links to each other one way or another; I even met someone who used to go to school with an Old Rossallian’s brother.
The best part of the week was being given the position of Platoon Sergeant on the second day of our first platoon attack, and shocking the officers with my loud voice which they hadn’t yet experienced! They all stopped what they were doing when they heard me telling off a 2 I/C because he hadn’t brought me the correct information!
Over the week lack of sleep began to show as we all took turns on sentry duty in the middle of the night, but despite this adrenaline was still high and every day was a new achievement – or, as our Platoon Commander said, ‘every day is a school day’, which is 100% true on this course.
Overall, I have never experienced anything quite like this week; I have made many new friends, learnt so much and had the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities that without this course I would never have been able to do.
