Page 10 - Cadet Review Autumn 2024

Joint Service News
REGIONAL GOLD DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD EXPEDITION
By Sergeant Amelia Forrester
In August 2024, 12 Royal Air Force Air Cadets
from North Region completed their Gold Duke
of Edinburgh’s (DofE) qualifier expedition. The expedition saw them walk over 50 miles (80km) across 4 days in the Yorkshire Dales, carrying all of their equipment and food with them.
Day One saw them walk from Redmire (near Leyburn) to Hardraw. Despite a showery start to the day, they reached their campsite in good spirits, dried out in the afternoon sun, and cooked their evening meals in their teams.
Day Two took them from Hardraw, through Hawes, to Buckden. Unfortunately, after the relatively sunny morning, the weather took a turn for the worse in the afternoon, and it rained well into the evening. This day was most challenging for both groups' morale, as there were two more days walking ahead.
The rain and cloud from the day before had cleared by the morning, and the groups spent Day Three
in glorious sunshine. They set off from Buckden
and headed Southwest to Malham, stopping at the beautiful Malham Cove to enjoy the view.
On Day Four, the groups walked from Malham to the finish point at Hag Dyke, passing the beautiful Janet’s Foss waterfall. This day was the most challenging weather-wise, and the cadets ended up in waterproofs from the start to end of the day. However, with the end in sight, morale remained high, and everyone reached the end in good spirits, albeit thoroughly soaked!
Sgt Amelia Forrester (1323 Ryedale Squadron)
The event concluded with cadets feeling inspired and better prepared to embark on their own business ventures.
said: “DofE is what you make it. Whilst you can’t control everything, there’s so much you and your team can do to make it as good as possible, from choosing an aim you’ll enjoy and want to complete; to properly planning the evening meals so that you look forward to cooking and eating them after a long day walking. When conditions are challenging, it’s important for the group to stick together and support each other through it.”
Flight Sergeant Harrison Buckley 2434 (Church Fenton Squadron) added: “I would recommend every cadet gets involved with the DofE award, especially through Cadets. Though it was challenging at
times, the sense of achievement was huge when
we reached the end. You learn so much and grow
as a person – and as a team – on the expedition, developing teamwork, leadership, resilience, and organisational skills. You get to broaden your life experiences, going to some beautiful places and meeting new people from across the region.”
On behalf of all of the cadets, I would like to thank the staff on the Regional DofE team who supported everyone through their DofE expedition and made such fantastic experiences possible.
10 CADET REVIEW AUTUMN 2024