I think the problem has been mission creep with the Permanent Staff. Back in the ‘old’ days, we wanted to go on activity, we rang the local RAF station and asked if they had a minibus. If they didn’t we went to a provate hire company. Now it has to be done by the PS. Ditto with ranges, I used to email or ring up where I wanted, they said yes and wrote us in the diary - now its all on BAMS with limited CFAV access. Even things like booking into the mess, if I want to use Northolt I am now told I have to email PS for them to email the accom cell. In the past I rang the accom cell and booked direct.
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Recently Ex Civcom person here. No sign of anybody taking over CWC account or funds. !! I know that it has been discussed . Now probably in the HQAC ‘too difficult’ folder.
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I’ve told that this isn’t happening & was discontinued as a project stream a little while ago.
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Would probably help the RAFAC cash shortfall
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I grew up in SW region.
I was in two fantastic Sqn’s under fantastic officers. The ACO gave me four years of amazing experiences - Germany camps, Oakhampton, Sennybridge, Winter Mountaineering at RAF Granton-on-Spey and RMB Kinlochleven, a week’s sailing in the channel with the LSP, Norway with NATO, Bronze and Silver DofE, endless flying, Gliding scholarship. I even did a week at RAF Sealand…
It took me from being this really shy kid with no confidence whatsoever to being a massive gobshite.
It was my experiences with the ACO - and the example of the incredible officers and CFAV’s - that got me to, and through, P Company at 18, then RMAS at 21, AACC at 23, and then being at the tip of my country’s spear in Afghanistan in 2002.
I had my old Sqn number flash sewn into the inside of my smock. I wore in in the Hindu Kush carrying a rifle, and a bergen the size of a large fridge.
It was SWR that gave me an incredible childhood, and laid the foundations for an amazing life that I’m so privileged to have lead.
I’m just appalled at what has been done to kids - and CFAV’s - in the Sqn’s I grew up in.
Just shocking.
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You should email that to someone. But at this point I honestly don’t know who. The only senior member of this organisation who seems to show any positive engagement is RC North. And sadly I don’t think there’s much he could do.
This whole thing is a joke. A really really bad joke.
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Thats a huge point here - who seemingly cares enough, is someone who holds enough seniority and influence, and is given the time and respect to table these concerns. There is nobody who fits all of the above to fix this.
CFAVs are treated like children who cant be trusted, when quite often, we are MORE qualified and experienced than permanent staff.
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I agree that he is certainly visible but his responses on VoV often come across as condescending towards the volunteer and it is incredibly rare that any thread on that forum actually reaches a conclusion. We get fobbed off for months, years in some cases.
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Not sure I agree. I think he’s often in a position as the middle man. The responses are often a direct copy and paste from HQ or elsewhere.
I think it’s fantastic that we have an RC who is willing to put in the extra leg work to get often tricky and difficult questions answered. It’s not exactly his fault that 2FTS aren’t being forthcoming with a better answer re ACTO 35, for example.
I think he really shows that he cares, and wants to stomp out a lot of the local BS where possible. For example, his challenge anything letter (or what ever it was called) was fantastic. And from people I have spoken to, he meant everything in there.
I’ve seen more positives from him than my own RC. I mean, I rarely see anything from my own RC.
I have also been in Teams calls with him where he talks passionately about enabling the volunteer. He trusts us. He’s an advocate for allowing us to do more within our own means.
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As one of RC N’s underlings, I can second the view that he’s a bloke who supports us at a visceral level - and yes, when he’s not able to deliver, that failure has the fingerprints of others all over it.
He can, in private, be undiplomatic…
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As it happens, my earlier post was not hyperbole. I’ve just been to unit to let them know that I am not coming back, and am starting the process to transfer to the SCC.
Today’s announcement didn’t prompt that, but it certainly cemented it for me.
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Sadly my earlier optimism has been crushed by a 100% confirmation that it is a total stop stop stop on any and all activities within the timeframe. Having had the rationale explained to me, it makes a little more sense but I am still shocked and very annoyed about this
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Go on then, tell us the lies they’ve spun to justify it.
There is no way it will end at the end of August. What on earth will change in that month to allow them to restart us?
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I was honestly hoping what you were saying before would be the case, but am sadly not surprised.
I am intrigued to hear the rationale. If there is any, I do wonder why it wasn’t added to the original email. Other than retraining etc.
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Apparently it’s related to other issues surrounding post activity (complaints, investigations, etc). To be fair, I have absolutely no reason to doubt my source and the info comes from a very trustworthy place - I am also personally keen here to note that these are organisational failings, not the fault of sepcific individuals caught in the system
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Oh yeah, that’s certainly how it looks from the outside looking in. As I said earlier:
The only individual this falls on would be the boss. But really this screams of a wider management issue.
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I still don’t understand how any of that means that I can’t leave my compound for a month.
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What an appalling situation! If it is a complete stop, which I expect it will be, that’s months of planning by volunteers has just gone in smoke. There’s the question of lost deposits etc too. That’s cadets’ money wasted.
Who would put the effort in for future activities or for next year if RC SW could cancel everything with 10 days’ notice. Sadly it’s going to take a lot to recover from this 
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It sounds like a raging cluster of a situation
I am not making apologies for anyone but consider for a moment that this is the result of a perfect storm or like those flight safety videos of the eighties the coming together of a chain of events that made the outcome inevitable:
- RAFAC have no money
- SWR lost 3 of its six WeXOs
- CS have a recruitment ban
- SWR have tried to reorganise to Functional Pillars
- ReOrg timetable slippage
- Things we dont know/understand backing up
Result: System breaking/Broke
Remember this is not the result of one thing/individual - it is a chain of events with many fingers in.
Does not change the fact that we are still paddle less in a Thame Water river
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