Cadet awarded Nordic Skiing award

Edward Fairburn, 16, a cadet with the Diss Air Cadets (Air Training Corps) has just returned from a challenging skiing visit to Zweisel on the German/Czech border.

Braving temperatures of minus 10 degrees during the day to minus 30 at night, he completed many strenuous exercises finishing with a 24 km ski across the Arber mountain, from the top of which you can see nearly 200 miles over the Czech republic. He was one of only 20 of the original 120 cadets to complete the return journey on skis.

As a result, he was awarded his bronze 'Langlauf' award for Nordic Skiing and his Regional Blues for winning his group in a ski time trial, the first cadet on the Squadron to have done so. He was presented with his certificates and medal by the Commandant of the Air Cadets, Air Commodore Harrison at a ceremony on their last evening.

Edward said "The trip was the toughest week of my life, it wasn't intended as a holiday and with the RAF physical training instructors there it certainly wasn't. However, it was a great experience and I achieved things I didn't know I could".

Squadron Commander Andy Pursehouse commented that very few cadets achieve this award and Edward had done exceptionally well, the Nordic skiing is one of the many great opportunities offered by the Air Training Corps.