Page 73 - The Cormorant Issue 14

The ACSC 14 ‘Charioteers’
By Lt Col P A Carter RAMC
ACSC 14 are, by all accounts, a charita-
ble lot. Interspersed between plotting the
downfall of the fictional country of Verda-
tia in the Theatre War Game and charting
the rise of the very real countries of Brazil,
India and China in the International Secu-
rity Studies phase, many course members
have found the time to raise money for
good causes. Throughout the year there
have been impressive individual efforts and
some popular collective fund raising activi-
ties. Early on in Term 1, the course selected three organisations as our ‘official’ charities. These were Combat Stress, Families’ Activity Breaks (FAB) and Troop Aid. This did not mean that other charitable causes were neglected and individual members of the course, family members and Serco support staff, have also raised money for the Oxford Children’s Hospital, The Alz- heimer’s Society and Riding for the Disabled, amongst others.
Vying for the accolade of the most heavily supported events were the Charity Fun Run in April, which saw 157 staff and students run between 5 and 10km in support of FAB, raising an impres- sive £1339, and our Comic Relief Night, which saw almost the same number of staff and students head for the Shag’s Bar in fancy dress, raising £700 to support the charity’s work in the UK and Africa. The prize for the ‘hardest’ way to raise money went
to the Anglo-American ACSC 14 ‘Tough Guy’ team, who, between them, raised a staggering £2530 for Combat Stress. Close behind were Will Lynch, who ran up (and down) Welsh Mountains in aid of BLESMA, raising £400, and Mark Hard- ing, who ran a 60 mile ultra marathon in Norfolk, raising £300 for Help for Heroes. The ‘scariest’ way to raise money saw Dr Katherine Brown, Gp Capt Andy Myers and Wg Cdr Sue Jarvis leap confidently
from a small plane whilst it was still in the air, raising almost £600 for FAB. Course members even bought £130 worth of books by Alistair Campbell, the proceeds of which went to Combat Stress. Between us, the course has raised almost £8000 for charity, including at least £600 for the Watchfield School Eng- lish Language Unit from the sale of an International Cookbook. As well as the flagship events, there have been cake and bake sales, Christmas charity collections, a charity yearbook, and a whole host of different events raising money for a variety of good causes. If we could only harness the same ingenuity, careful planning and hard work for the Campaigning exam!
Thanks to all those who gave money in support of our charities and especially to those who gave time, effort, and the occasional bead of sweat for the benefit of others.
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