Cost incurred for all the sports kit versus benefits for closing down sports & potential cost savings? Depth / breadth of higher-up helps’ decision-making processes?
The intention maybe to use this FoI as a lead-in into another one.
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Ultimately it’s had use and is now being liquidated for funds back into where it was purchased, while the items continue to be used for their original purpose of benefitting cadets (and potentially more regularly).
Honestly, I don’t think the sale of this kit is the biggest issue here. The depreciation and therefore loss is less than if the region continued to use it until unserviceable, CapEx for those buying is less than retail, and it gets more use.
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Well this came back today. Apparently no emails were sent?
This was very much my experience also. Those on the Sqn would represent Wing/Region would only really turn up for sporting things. They’d never progress through classifications etc.
Well that’s awkward when the whole of C&E had an email.
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I see what their response is doing.
They appear to be treating RAFAC as referring to HQAC only. So their response is technically correct, as that email didn’t go to HQAC and therefore wouldn’t be on HQAC’s records.
Personally, I think it quite a cynical move to narrow the scope of “RAFAC” to only mean HQAC, and I do find myself wondering how this actually fits within the legislation.
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I was a cadet in the ‘80s. 6’3 14 stone played rugby at school…
My first night at cadets - the second person to say hello was the Sqn WO, who was the Surrrey Wing (and LaSER?) Sports officer - with a focus on Rugby… his greeting was “Welcome to the Squadron… I’m assuming you’re a forward? 2nd Row…? Well, either way - I assume you’re available to play rugby next weekend for the Wing…?!”
Pretty sure I had my Wing Blue and Region Blue for rugby before my First Class badge!
Wing Rugby - on the coach from Wimbledon to Essex, trying to work out how experienced / proficient the other cadets were… of the 15 on the team, only 6 or 7 of us had played rugby before…
Work out we’ve got three forwards, three backs and a scrum half that “knew” what was going on…
Had a good laugh… but pretty sure that’s all we had on the coach - 15 cadets and a couple of staff…
When it came to Region - we did at least take both the juniors and seniors teams - 30+ /- cadets plus staff…
Driving from one side of London to the other…
Probably only about 30 miles each way, but over an hour and a half… each way…
Compare that to to over Wings where it covers two counties - to take a coach to get to another wing comprising of two counties…
Having been staff in a rural(ish) Wing & Region I’m more than a bit jealous of LaSER because of geographic proximity of neighbouring Wings and potential access to public transport as a means of getting around.
Add to that, the population density of the Region - then it’s easy to justify maintaining Wing & Region level sports… but compare that to more rural disperse Wings and Regions and it’s difficult to balance the spending on what is a relatively niche activity.
If Wing Sports were combined with say Wing Activity Day then it’s possible to combine more activities but with an even more complicated structure and greater need for even more staff and organising…
The other major threat is the management / diagnosis of injury - both in the short term and long term…
Take a look at the growing focus on concussion / MND…
To think Special K was doing his nut in over cadets walking in the sun - and fear over long term injuries for endurance RM such as Nijmegen… an you imagine how much he was rocking back and forth at the idea of a cadet receiving a hard tackle…?
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That’s how it was in my day: Wing Field Day included football and netball competitions.
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Having to go to RAF Digby to collect any bought items made it a non-player for most too.