AMBLE DETATCHMENT NORTHUMBRIA ARMY CADET FORCE

E-mail amble.acf@gmail.com Phone 0759441395 Date: August 2013 Dear Parents, Re: Amble August Newsletter From a cadet point of view, we are now coming to the end of our year which culminates in the Annual Camp at Barry Buddon on the 17th August. The cadets will be picked up at Masons Arms at 11:30. Please note that this is the time the bus will be leaving and so it would be better to be there no later than 11:15. Dress has not been stated but I would suggest that this is better to be in uniform, easier to carry the boots that way! I have attached a suggested kit list for the camp and would again strongly suggest that valuable items are not taken and expensive trainers/clothes etc are left at home. There will be several hundred cadets from all over Northumberland and Newcastle and we cant guarantee the honesty of all. If they do take anything, make sure its locked securely away. Its a long way to Dundee and home sickness can be a problem, especially if they have never been before. We try to keep them busy but with so much to do when we are there, we cant spare the adult or fuel to get them home and so with that in mind, if your child wishes to leave then it is up to you to collect them. We would of course speak to you first and if it is your wish that they stay, then they stay. However, if this is their first camp, may I suggest that they leave their mobile phone at home. They are well looked after and will be with their own Wcoy colleagues but if its too easy to phone home then experience has shown that if they have had a bad day they may do this and it can cause problems. If you urgently need to get hold of anyone, then please feel free to drop me a line and I will get the message passed along. I may be able to answer any questions you may have without disturbing the training. Unfortunately, I have no spare holidays to go myself as I have used what I can on training courses earlier in the year. I will be away on a proper holiday with my family until the 21 st so if you need to get hold of anyone try the headquarters during that time and they will pass on any message. This is only manned during office hours. The cadets will be back on the 30th and if I receive any news of their eta back at Amble I will put it on the detachment facebook page. The last parade night will be 15th August and we will reopen again on the 9 th September which will be the first day of the new cadet year. If you know anyone who will be starting year 8 or is over 12 and would like to join, we would be more than happy to see them there.

Fundraising As you may have seen on the Facebook page the local council have agreed to provide us with funding for a new banner (a detachment flag) which we can use for parades. These are surprisingly expensive and as part of the agreement, we need to raise the funds for a flagpole and carrying case. One of the suggestions made was a car wash which is a good idea and possibly also a sponsored walk from Amble to Alnwick. I will be in touch about this and if we have the car wash this, will need to be in the early part of September when the weather is relatively warm. If we cant do this then we will have to look at the alternatives. Uniforms The rumour mill has it that the new MTP uniforms for the cadets will not be available until September note that they have not put a year on this!!!! I have been asked to resubmit the sizes to county which has been done and hope that we may see some movement on this shortly. After wearing the new uniform for some time now, its cold in the winter and has no ventilation in the summer so the longer they keep the old C95 the better! However, I would suspect that the first we will hear of this is when I open the detachment and there is a big pile of clothes to sort through. If there is any news I will let you know. Upcoming Events Coldstream Parade On Friday 9th August we have been invited to attend a parade through Coldstream with No 7 Coy Coldstream Guards who are the ceremonial part of the guards who also assist in guarding Buckingham Palace and attending the Trooping of the Colour to celebrate the 45 th anniversary of them being given the freedom of the town. Its a honour to join them and assist in cementing our relationship with the Regiment. We can only take the senior cadets with us and I have been in touch with those who will be there. Pick up time will be 09:00 at the Masons Arms. Photos will be on the company website and our Facebook page asap. 5 Mile Trail Run W Company will be arranging an annual 5 mile run at Howick Gardens details of which can be found on the website (http://wcoyrun.weebly.com/) This is taking place on the 26th October and all proceeds will go to the W Coy funds to help us through another year. This proved very popular last year to help pay for the trip to Cyprus for the visit to 5RRF (the Fusiliers) and hope that this proves as big a draw as it did last year. It is open to everyone and there is also a 1 mile under 12s run as well. Remembrance Day Looking forward somewhat into the future, just to flag up that all cadets will be expected to attend the Remembrance Day parade on the 10th November. As you will appreciate, its a bit of

a big thing within the ACF and we do ask that the Cadets attend this, or have a very good reason not to! We have then been asked to take part in the Christmas Parade in Amble the weekend after to celebrate the switching on of the Christmas lights. Details of both events to follow nearer the time. Annual Camp 2014 Looking even further into the future, the provisional date for annual camp next year is 16th to 30th August 2014 and this is again, provisionally said to be Weymouth. I hope you have a wonderful summer and am so jealous of the cadets being able to go to camp, but someone has to pay the mortgage and spend some time with my own family! As ever is anyone has any questions please drop me an e-mail or pop in prior to or after cadets on a Monday or Thursday. Kind regards 2Lt Watson Amble Detachment Commander Northumbria Army Cadet Force Amble.acf@gmail.com