211 (Newbury) Squadron is a thriving squadron in the heart of West Berkshire.
We are able to offer a broad and varied evening training programme, as well as many weekend activities. The Squadron has particular strengths in the fields of adventurous training, shooting, fieldcraft, drill & leadership training as well as Flying & Gliding. The cadets of 211 Squadron are proud to be one of the oldest squadrons in Thames Valley Wing, and can trace their history back to the formation of the Air Training Corps in 1941 and have always been at the forefront of success and achievement within the Wing and in the local community.
We run a quarterly intake system, recruiting every January, April, July & October and have a comprehensive induction package for new cadets covering everything they'll need to know to help them on their way to joining one of the air cadet squadrons of Thames Valley Wing
Waking up at 6am isn’t the usual Sunday morning for a teenager, but the cadets from Slough squadron were up for the challenge of Wing Activities Day. Ready to compete, we arrived at Edward Brooks Barracks prepared to engage in the competitive spirit of Thames Valley Wing. As Slough squadron’s team captain, Sergeant Pusey was already motivating the cadets: “This is a great opportunity to boost the confidence of three of our new cadets.” The new cadets at Slough squadron had been preparing and training for this opportunity to demonstrate how much they have improved over recent months, and were excited to participate. Continue reading →
The annual Inter Squadron Swimming Competition was held recently at Temple Cowley Pool and saw 21 Squadrons from across Oxfordshire and Berkshire in fierce battle for the awards on offer.
The competition itself was spread across four classes (Junior Boys, Senior Boys, Junior Girls and Senior Girls) and comprised both individual and team events in all four main disciplines, namely Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle. In addition there were further categories including the individual medley, one cadet completing all four strokes in one race, the medley relay (4 cadets 4 strokes) and the freestyle relay (4 cadets any stroke). Continue reading →
Arriving late on Friday night to a wind and rain swept spit of land stretching into the solent, the 10-strong team of cadets began attempting to set up camp and unpack. High winds, driving rain and exposure to the elements made this an impossible task, however, and with midnight approaching the decision was made to sleep indoors for the night and try again in the light.
A 0500 hours wake up call (after another squadron had kindly rescued the team’s tents from blowing into the sea!) and a lot of packing later, the cadets were up, dressed and ready to start the day’s activities. Continue reading →
What do you get if you take 100 Air Cadets, a confidence course, the RAF Outreach Team and a choice of field craft training areas – well you get the most successful greens camp offered by Thames Valley Wing to date!
The camp, now in its third year at Pirbright Camp in Surrey, was aimed at the Wing’s younger cadets with a three day “Blue Phase” which was followed by a two day “Green Phase” field craft exercise. Also in the mix were a VIP engagement day and a myriad of evening social activity. Continue reading →
Cadets from Thames Valley Wing have been putting themselves in the news at their first weeklong Media Camp held at Pirbright Camp in Surrey.
The cadets learnt lots of new skills including photography, copy writing, newsletters, film making and presentation skills during the week as they provided media cover for the Wing’s annual greens camp. Continue reading →
76 uniformed members of staff from Thames Valley Wing have been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
The members of staff were presented with the medal by Air Commodore Paul Lyall OBE of the Joint Services Defence College during a high profile parade at Dalton Barracks; in front of family, friends and guests. Continue reading →
The success of the Thames Valley Wing sports teams continued recently with a fantastic haul of trophies at the recent inter-Wing athletics competition.
Held against the backdrop of the forthcoming Olympics, and with an Olympic torch in attendance, carried by the Regional Sports Officer, Squadron Leader Costin, the competition saw cadets from across the South West Region pitted against one another to win the various pieces of silverware on offer and also to gain a place on the team to compete against the other Regions in the Corps later this year at RAF Cosford. Continue reading →
Britwell Air Cadets were in the silverware after winning the lions share of the medals and trophies at the Thames Valley Wing Athletics Championships held at Abingdon’s Tilsey Park.
Over 200 cadets and 50 staff took part in glorious sunshine; battling it out to be crowned champions. 11 events were on offer across 5 age categories headed up by Flight Sergeant Barry Tweddle, the Wing Sports Officer. Continue reading →
On a very soggy Sunday in April, cadets and staff from across Thames Valley Wing took to the water and the wall at Adventure Dolphin in Pangbourne.
Despite the torrential rain, several cadets and staff made the trip to Adventure Dolphin in Pangbourne for a day of taster sessions in canoeing and climbing. Organised by FS Chris Harding (ATC), the cadets spent half the day learning some basic skills in a canoe on the river Thames, and the other half on the indoor climbing wall at the centre testing their climbing skills. Continue reading →
Cadets from Chipping Norton, based in North Oxfordshire, and cadets from Earley in Berkshire have proved themselves best of the bunch in a thrilling 5-a-side tournament held at RAF Benson.
28 teams from across the Thames Valley started the day with a series of league competitions for the male and female trophies before being narrowed down to the top 12 teams for the nail biting play off stage. Continue reading →
211 (Newbury) Squadron is a thriving squadron in the heart of West Berkshire.
