Kay, who applied for the exchange in January 2009, learned in February that she had been selected by HQ Land Forces to accompany Cadet Phoebe Dewing (16) from Cranbrook School CCF and Cadet Sgt Maj Stephanie Candish (18) of Buckinghamshire ACF on the Scandinavian expedition. The exchange to Norway was the first ever and involved participating in a busy and challenging programme organised by Lt Col Terje Kristofferson and Capt Ola Tomter of the Heimevernet (Home Guard). Kay was called on to teach the group skills such as first aid and even got to shoot the MP5 machine pistol, the Glock pistol and the AG-3, a 7.62mm battle rifle. She also had to take the salute at Rena Military Garrison with our British two cadets - for the raising of the Union Flag - a very proud moment for all three!

The visit was an amazing opportunity to meet and work with cadets from different nations and cultures, encouraging cadets to learn new skills, including learning new languages while united under the Army Cadet Force banner. Activities included 'Operation Back Home' -  a 22km mountain hike in which teams of cadets accompanied by an adult instructor had to literally find their way home across mountains, forest and even swamp using GPS and maps! Other activities included an expedition to the Hardangervidda mountain plateau in western Norway - the largest such plateau in Europe and the site of one of Norway's largest glaciers. Other highlights included a visit to Oslo and a visit to the UNESCO world Heritage site at Røros - plus a 21 gun salute to mark the birthday of King Harald V of Norway at Kongsvinger Fortress, after which the group of 19 cadets and instructors were each presented with one of the empty shells to commemorate the event.  

"I'll never forget swimming and drinking the water straight out of mountain lakes" Kay said. "Being a Fen girl I'm used to the flat lands, rather than swimming at 1200m above sea level!" "I am still in awe of how breathtakingly beautiful Norway is and the friendliness of the people - it was a real wrench to come home!"

The final activity was a competition for the teams of cadets, minus an instructor, to navigate the Hardangervidda mountain plateau on the route of Norwegian saboteurs from World War II which ended with a visit to the former heavy water factory at Rjukan. Now a museum, the site was the object of a series of actions undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the German nuclear energy project from acquiring heavy water (deuterium oxide), for the production of nuclear weapons by the Nazis. The amazing tales of stocism and determination in the face of great adversity and personal sacrifice were inspirational, particularly as an earlier operation mounted by British paratroopers had failed when their military gliders crashed short of their destination. This visit had an impact on all the cadets, as the failure of the British Para operation resulted in all participants being killed or captured - leading to interrogation and eventual execution by the Gestapo.

Kay, whose partner is a serving soldier with the Paras, said: "The loss of the Paras on this operation was particularly sobering for me but the courage and determination of the Norwegian saboteurs to succeed and stop the Nazis at whatever cost was humbling."

Now back home in Cambridgeshire, Kay is having to get used to flat countryside once again!

SSI Storey at Rjukan with Captain Tammy Hale from Canada