Two senior officers from Clwyd & Gwynedd Army Cadet Force have been recognised for their hard work and efforts in ensuring the Cadet Experience happened despite the best efforts of COVID to thwart it!
Major Gareth Hughes and Major John Baxendale both received the Commander 160th (Welsh) Brigade Coin for Excellence.
Col Martin L Craven who put them forward for the awards, explained:
“Major Gareth Hughes has been an outstanding County Training Officer for a number of years, but his experience and skills were really put to test when the decision to cancel our normal summer camp booking in Sennybridge had to be made due to rising covid cases and hotspots, etc.
We needed an alternative plan for Summer Camp due to the pandemic and resulting regulations and restrictions coming from Welsh Government.
Major Gareth Hughes, despite working full time as an Aircraft Engineer, was able to produce an innovative and practical plan which was executed brilliantly by the companies. The plan included each home company carrying out a 6-day minicamp, with a varied programme that was fun and yet still allowed cadets to achieve their much-needed star passes.
Feedback from cadets and CFAVs on the mini camps has been very complimentary and I am in no doubt the success of these camps has been down to his hard work and ability to adapt.”
“Major John Baxendale has been the Public Relations Officer for several years and has gone above and beyond to ensure that he is everywhere when it comes to Clwyd & Gwynedd ACF activities to ensure that he captures the moment for our website and social media platforms.
With an alternative plan in place for summer camp, John was faced with a real challenge, as it involved each home company carrying out a 6-day minicamp, this meant that there would be a total of 24 days of summer camps!
Despite this, John rose to the challenge and ensured that he reported on each day of the camps, turning up to take pictures, organise visits from MPs and local officials including two town mayors.
John is an extremely dedicated volunteer, who has also been a great asset across the whole of Wales in his role as the Brigade advisor for public relations.
Well done gentlemen, recognition that is truly deserved!”
