My unit has gotten to the point where we are having to look at restricting our recruitment due to a lack of Training Space.
The obvious solution is to open a DF but due to the young nature of my staff team I don’t think that’s practical just yet.
We do have a local School, does anyone know the rules or process of renting a Classroom to provide increased Training Space? Will RFCA pat for such a thing or would it have to come out of Squadron funds?
RFCA paid for classroom accommodation whilst a sqn was being refurbished. I know it’s not the same but renting has been done.
BUT you may find rfca say you have too many cadets get rid of some… that’s how stupid they are!
There is nothing wrong in asking RFCA for a 2nd spooner hut or other additional space. Whether you will get it is another question.
Once long ago we were in a similar position - but without the luxury of a school!!
Options were: cull dead wood (we weren’t carrying any), hold on recruitment, send noobies to a neighbouring unit or do an extra parade night. No other options presented.
Some years later, RFCA refurbed us. We were instructed to close during the refurb - or, if we found an alternative venue, they would consider funding. To their credit, they did stump up the funds - but we had to do a lot of legwork to make it happen.
My overriding memories of our “peaks” are how much hard work it was!!! We also found ourselves operating at critical mass - with staff running themselves silly trying to support 75 cadets in a sqn built for 40. Streamlining lectures, capping activity numbers and having subflights doing drill as we didnt have the space for full flight drill.
We - for the good of our health - reigned back recruitment and focused on giving high quality experiences to fewer cadets.
Not the answer you probably wanted to hear!
I know a sqn’s hut is tiny so they have many cadets on Sqn doing classroom stuff or out doing drill while the other group are out at sports. But that’s dependant on what staff you have at hand etc
By the time RFCA get round to responding to any request for additional space, you’ll hit a trough in numbers,
As for a DF you would need to have a significant number in one location where you feel there is greater potential for interest and be able to staff it. But that won’t happen overnight and cheap accommodation is also needed. The DF I ran as a WO was told to find alternative accommodation that was cheaper. Thankfully one of the parents was involved with the local church and we got to use a church hall which was to coin a phrase “cheap as chips” and was there for several years after I left.
Cost will be the key factor if you wanted to hire somewhere and RFCA will have to inspect as well.
If you are in one of the new type huts they are fire rated IIRC for 100 people, which I think is based on the cubic area allocated per person. Quite where the would go is another thing entirely.
The concern I’ve got is that Winter is Coming so we may get to a position where we can’t do outside activities.
Our last 2 intakes have brought in 70 Cadets between them and we still have the vast majority of them. (And that was already limited by us turning down 2 School assemblies).
We could easily double the size of the Squadron over the next 6 weeks if we allowed ourselves to be unchecked.
We are in similar shoes… We’ve been told that if you bang on the RFCA door hard enough you may get a porta cabin…this comes from a separate fund to maintenance which is less spent
Suggestion for you,
Would it be worth calling HQAC and speaking to the girls in the property team and ask them what could be done???
I have spoken to them before and found them very helpful