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The annual Eastern Region cadet forces first aid competition took place at Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Headquarters at Waterbeach near Cambridge on 20th June 2009.
Army and air cadets aged between 13 to18 from all over East Anglia pitted their first aid skills against one another for best team and individual results on what proved to be one of the hottest days of the year. Several realistic scenarios tested the youngsters throughout the day - and the temperature increased even further as assessing the event was top cadet first aid officer in the UK, Lieutenant Colonel Alan Sharkey, MBE TD, Chairman of the Army Cadet Force Association National First Aid Panel. Lt Col Sharkey was ably supported by Mr Graham Waterson from St John Ambulance, Cambridge.
Assessors marking the team test Cambridgeshire army cadets put in a superb performance coming first in the team tests with Lance Corporal Amber Bradbury (17) from Ely being placed as best individual competitor. Amber and her team members became overall winning team with an impressive combined score of 214 points with Suffolk ACF as runners up with 141 points. The Young Adult first aid competition also took place using similar scenarios - but with one person less per team the tests became substantially more challenging. Cambridgeshire ACF again performed with excellence, winning best team position – with Sergeant Instructor Laura Conway (21) from Huntingdon taking the best individual position. The overall winners were Cambridgeshire cadets with a score of 148 points and 51 Squadron Orton, Air Training Corps were runners up with 134 points. At the conclusion of the event awards and medals were presented by Colonel (Retd) Colin Elsden DL who said of the day, “All of the cadets, instructors and assessors have my congratulations on fine standards of performance. The motivation is certainly in place for these and other young people to improve their skills even further at future events.” The regional winners and runners up will now go on to the National First Aid Championships to be held later in the year. |
