Twenty cadets from 10 Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing ATC units undertook Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold ventures in Mid Wales during the October half term.

Fifteen actual ventures were completed, with five cadets completing their Gold awards during the week.

The groups which were based at the wing training facility in Elan Village split into three groups, two male and one female.

The male groups undertook a traditional 'expedition' type venture and travelled 80Km on foot around the Elan Valley water catchment area whilst comparing the land use in four separate valleys. They soon discovered that the valleys are separated by some rather steep and boggy hills. It was suggested by one team member that the aim of the expedition should have been to spot the difference between ancient pathways and bog.

The female group undertook a more in depth study of the effects of commerce in the area during the 20 th Century. The study looked at the loss of farmland for reservoir building and the effects of tourism, in particular the use of footpaths at different distances from tourist attractions and erosion caused by mountain bikes or 4X4 vehicles.

Although undertaken very late in the year, the groups were blessed with good weather on all but one day when they discovered that it does not need to rain in the Elan valley to fill the reservoirs because the clouds just come down to meet them. Despite very poor conditions and very taxing navigation, all groups completed their third day in good time, and all seemed to have found it the most memorable.

The location of the wing training facility allows easy access into open country for bronze and silver ventures, whilst giving a starting point for ventures into the Mid Wales wild country area. New camp sites are being located to allow for a greater variety of ventures to take place. However the remoteness of the area meant that staff travelled over 1000 miles during the week.

AWO Hart (D of E assessor) said, "I would like to congratulate all the cadets concerned on the completion of their Gold expeditions and would also like to thank all the members of support staff who helped to make our half term trip to Elan so successful."

Article Submitted by:-
AWO Hart (DofE assessor).
02Nov06