On Wednesday 20th June, soldiers from the Infantry Engagement Team paid a visit to St Neots Detachment. The soldiers, who are serving with the Coldstream Guards and Grenadier Guards, engaged the cadets with an evening full of fun activities and games, carefully designed to foster team building skills and present a positive outlook on potential careers in the Army.
Infantry Engagement Team visits St Neots
An Evening of Fun & Team Building.
Corporal of Horse Karl Selby gives a presentation.
Whilst the Army Cadet Force does not recruit for the Army or pressure anyone into joining, we do allow soldiers from the Engagement Team and Recruitment Office to visit and let our cadets know about opportunities available to them in case they are interested. For this reason, the Guardsmen were accompanied by Corporal of Horse (CoH) Karl Selby from Cambridge Recruiting Office, who gave a presentation on Army career opportunities.
The 'marble run' game.
Above all, this was a really fun evening. The soldiers enthusiastically engaged the cadets in various activities aimed at building teamwork, discipline, and camaraderie. These included a ‘marble run’ game, in which cadets had to work together to get a ball to run down a short section of pipe, with another cadet then running around to the other end to catch the ball in their section of pipe, and so on, to get the ball over a given distance. The cadets started with a large ball, and moved to a smaller marble-like ball after practising.
The 'marble run' game.
Another team building game involved blindfolded cadets crossing a ‘minefield’ of plastic cones, guided by instructions from their comrades. These activities really pushed the cadets to communicate effectively and work collaboratively, and it was great to have experienced soldiers to guide them.
The 'landmine' game.
In addition to physical challenges, the soldiers also took the opportunity to share their personal experiences and insights into life in the Army. They emphasized the value of discipline, adaptability, and leadership in any activity. The cadets really enjoyed the team building games, which proceeded with a lot of laughter. Cadet Lucy Kite said; ‘The marble run was difficult but it was the most fun. The landmine game was fun too, but nerve wracking! It was all great for team building.’
Above all, this was a fun evening.
CoH Selby said; ‘We’ve had lots of interaction from the cadets, they are very enthusiastic and very motivated, and have engaged with us very well.’
St Neots Detachment with their guests.
Text & photos by SI Doug Stuart