Plans for Sandhurst Mega Mosque turned down

With 6,500 local residents lodging objections, Surrey Heath Borough Council had little choice but to reject the application to build a mosque in Camberley, Surrey.

The decision to reject the application was greeted with cheers from the hundreds of people who had attended the planning meeting.

To make way for the giant mosque, the local Muslim group were intending to bulldoze the cluster of listed Victorian school buildings which currently occupy the site and which are situated within the Royal Military Academy Conservation Area.

Local residents maintained not only that the existing school buildings formed an intrinsic part of the town's traditional English heritage and should be protected, but also that the size and scale of the proposal would mean that the mosque would dominate the town and tower over the surrounding buildings.

There was also a major concern both locally and nationally that the twin 100 foot high minarettes would give clear line of sight to the parade grounds of nearby Sandhurst.

The Muslim group are sure to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate to get the decision of the town overturned. It must be remembered that the Planning Inspectorate is just another arm of the central government and is indifferent to local opinion and local democracy. The Planning Inspectorate is only there to enforce the dictates of their political masters in the Department of Communities and Local Government, the fiefdom of Hazel Blairs MP. Bearing in mind how the labour party is constantly trying to appease the muslim community and "bring them on-side", the objectors to the proposed mosque may well still have a fight on their hands.

The Mail: Thousands of residents force council to reject plans for giant mosque next to Sandhurst military academy

AquilaVictrix: Mega Mosque designed to overlook Sandhurst

Mega Mosque designed to overlook Sandhurst

Muslims in Surrey Heath have had their plans to build a giant mosque just 400 yards from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst approved by the local council's planning committee.

Approval was given despite objections from over 1,000 local people - not to mention that a listed Victorian building will have to be demolished to make way for the new mosque. The height and scale of the massive mosque indicates that its design will dominate the surrounding buildings. But of more concern is that its two 100ft high minarets will give a clear view of the Academy's parade ground.

Military chiefs obviously consider this poses a major security threat to the cadets. "It is outrageous to even think that the officers of the future would have to watch their backs while they are still in training."

The Mail: Giant mosque's towers 'will loom over Sandhurst'

Army Cadet Force seeks support from the Service Community

The government may have done a (welcomed) U-turn and reinstated the TA budget; they have not done the same with the Army Cadet Force and the £4million

cuts made in this year's ACF budget remain in force. The Army Cadet Force Association is now very concerned that, with the inevitable squeeze on the Army budget, this year's cuts may be repeated again next year - or even worse. This would have a seriously damaging impact on the facilities and opportunities available to the UK's 47,000 Army cadets and, importantly, on the resolve of the 8,500 adult volunteers to continue, particularly with the reductiion in instructors' paid training days and annual and weekend camps.

The ACF is a valuable training ground not only for future Army intake but also for the country's young people as a whole. The ACF helps teenages develop personally, physically and socially by providing challenging and adventurous opportunities in a structured, disciplined environment. Through the ACF young people learn the core values of self discipline, respect for others and team work. In other words the ACF teaches our young people the personal and social skills which our schools are lamentably failing to do.

Indeed up until recently Brown, Balls, Ainsworth and Co. had been announcing that the government had plans to expand the ACF and had been extolling the benefits the ACF could bring to children from all backgrounds.

The Army Cadet Force Association rightly says that each year the Army's cadets put a great deal of effort into supporting the Service community and Service charities. It, in turn, is now seeking all the support that it can get to increase awareness of the dangers that a repeat of this year's cuts would have on the ACF movement.

Army Cadet Force Association

Army Cadets website

AFC Harrogate: Passing-Out Parade

Army Foundation College Harrogate celebrated its 10th anniversary on August 14th with a passing-out parade for 600 of its 1300 students. The number of junior soldiers graduating from the College indicates how successful the AFC has been both at attracting high calibre students and in providing the level of military and vocational training needed by today's Army.

Junior Soldier Aaron Ellison-Jones said: "I felt brilliant today. I would recommend the Army Foundation College to anybody. There was nothing that concerned me at all about the training. I want to make a career in the Army and stay in as long as possible."

Congratulations to all the graduates!

Link> MoD: Harrogate parade sees 600 new soldiers join Army ranks
Link> The Sun: Passing-out Pride
also

Link> AV: AFC Harrodate 10th Birthday Parade
Link> Army.MoD: AFC Harrogate

TA100 - Durham's first Military Tattoo

Durham city is to host its first military tattoo on Saturday 6th September on Palace Green outside the Cathedral. This "huge military spectacular" is being organised by the Reserve Force and Cadet Association (RFCA) for the North of England. Staged to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army, it is not surprising that this year's event will be having a special TA theme.

The Tattoo Director, Major Eric Ingram, says: "We're laying on a show that covers the 100 years of the Territorial Army. So we're going to do a little bit about World War I, a bit about World War II and quite a big re-enactment of a battle that's a typical example of what's happening in Afghanistan at the moment."
The event will involve 150 TA soldiers, local army cadets, military bands and veterans. In addition to re-enactments of events from the TA's history, the programme includes music from a number of military bands (including pipes and drums) and displays of military vehicles.

The anticipated 1,500-2,000 spectators will be able to watch the action taking place in the central arena. Tickets are on sale at the Tourist Information Centre in Millennium Place, Durham and cost £5 for the afternoon preview and £10 for the evening. Details are available on the TA100 website below.

The Tattoo will serve to emphasise the valuable contribution that the TA continues to make to Britain's Armed Forces and is sure to encourage new recruits to its ranks.

Link> TA100: Durham Military Tattoo
Link> BBC: Durham Military Tattoo

College Bursary Scheme being promoted

Although launched some months ago, added impetus is now being put behind the Army's Further Education Bursary Scheme (FEBS). Traditionally bursaries have only been awarded to students attending degree courses and this has often been seen as elitist as it mainly benefitted the officer-class. The introduction of FEBS has meant that all students over 16 can now qualify for financial support to continue their education. FEBS provides annual grants of £1,000 to college students attending qualifying vocational courses (e.g. mechanics, I.T., business admin, catering) at 200 British colleges with a further £1,000 being paid out on completion of basic training.

The key drivers behind FEBS are:

• reducing the very high drop out rate during basic training. Currently about half of recruits drop out within the first 14 weeks often because they didn't really understand what being in the Army is about when they enlisted. FEBS is aimed at providing that insight upfront.
• meeting the skill shortage from which the Army is currently suffering. The courses that are supported by the scheme are all relevant to careers in the Army.
• improving the quality of recruits. Students successfully completing their college courses will be better educated and motivated. Failings in Britain's schools mean that the educational attainments of new recruits falls short of the Army's standards and consequently the Army is having to do the teachers' job for them by running its own in-house literacy and numeracy courses.
• mitigating the impending rise in the school-leaving age to 18. The Army currently takes on recruits from aged 16 and 17 but from 2013 this will no longer be possible. The Army sees the bursary scheme as a means to mitigate this and to build partnerships with the colleges for mutual benefit.
• going a long way to meeting the Army's recruitment target. FEBS is offering 3,000 bursaries and if all are successful, this would meet 25% of its target of 12,000 recruits.

Sounds like a good scheme which should help many young people stay on in further education. The Army is a wee bit optimistic, though, if it imagines it will be able to get the £4,000 back from students who drop out before they get to basic training.

Link> MoD: Army offers secure future to student soldiers
Link> The Mirror: Army to pay you to learn
Link> The Guardian: Army to pay students to complete further education

also
Link> AV: Army Bursary Scheme takes off

AFC Harrogate 10th Birthday Parade

Over a thousand Junior Soldiers accompanied by their staff and two military bands paraded through the streets of Harrogate yesterday in celebration of the 10th birthday of the Army Foundation College (AFC). The salute was taken from a dais outside the Town Hall by the Mayor of Harrogate, Councillor John Fox, and the senior Army officer for Yorkshire and the North East, Brigadier David Maddan.

Built on the site of the old Army Apprentice College on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, AFC Harrogate was opened in 1998. The flagship training centre was built under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme at a cost of over £80 million. Its hi-tech, high quality residential environment represents the new way forward for training Britain's troops, housing around 1500 students and 420 staff in an 18 building campus that consists of accommodation in 132 new or refurbished blocks together with full academic and military training facilities; it also boasts a 600 seat lecture theatre and a huge sports hall.

The AFC is for young lads and girls from the age of 16 who want a career in the Army and many join straight from school. They spend one year at the college as junior soldiers and when they pass out from the college they then go unto their respective regiments for further training.

Link> MoD: Harrogate celebrates Army college's 10th birthday

Link> MoD: AFC Harrogate

Link> Wikipedia: Army Foundation College

Teachers' union calls for a Cadet Force in every school

I was wrong: some teachers do have some common sense after all.

At their annual meeting last week, members of the Voice trade union (formerly the Professional Association of Teachers) voted in favour of more cadet forces in Britain's schools - in fact they called for a cadet force in every school. Currently more than 130,000 pupils are cadets in England.

Peter Morris, a delegate from Wales told the conference that cadet forces provide structure and discipline "lacking" in many young people's lives. "Cadet forces will inculcate some of the values which we, as a society, are missing," he said. "Self-discipline, self-reliance, loyalty, courage, respect and integrity."

Whether this call will get the support of other teaching unions is however doubtful. The National Union of Teachers, Britain's largest teaching union, is so vehemently opposed to anything to do with the military that at their annual conference earlier in the year they voted to ban the Armed Forces from schools altogether.

Link> The Guardian: Teachers vote for cadet forces in schools

Link> AV: Call for more cadet forces in Britain's schools

also
Link> AV: CCFs to be encouraged in state schools
Link> The Can'ts vote to ban the Forces from Britain's schools

Call for more cadet forces in Britain's schools

Peter Morris, chairman of the Swansea Neath Port Talbot branch of Voice (formerly the Professional Association of Teachers) will be calling on his colleagues at this week's annual conference to support the introduction of more cadet forces in Britain's schools. Unfortunately his appeal will fall on deaf ears as Britain's teachers have repeatedly shown their hostility to anything to do with Britain's Armed Forces.
He said: “I am annoyed. I am very annoyed. The reason? Because some of our colleagues in other teaching unions are not supporting the brave and courageous members of our Armed Forces when they visit our schools. For that reason, I welcome the establishment of cadet units in our schools. Society as a whole is becoming less disciplined. I believe that discipline, particularly self-discipline, is an attribute which benefits the whole of society.”

Sadly an organisation so pretentious that it calls itself VOICE is unlikely to gets its head out of its backside.

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Just shows how wrong you can be. Delegates at the Voice conference actually voted in favour of more Cadet Forces in schools (see below)

Link> AV: Teachers' union calls for a Cadet Force in every school
Link> Wales Online: Union to hear call for school cadet force units
Link> Voice: Annual Conference

CCFs to be encouraged in state schools

The National Recognition Study (NRS), the government-commissioned review of civil and military relations, is recommending that Combined Cadet Forces should be encouraged in Britain's comprehensive schools in order not only to bolster the general public's perception of the Armed Forces, but also to improve discipline among teenagers.
Some 200 of Britain's independent and grammar schools provide CCF facilities and receive the bulk of the £80 million provided for such activities by the MoD; only 60 cadet forces operate in comprehensive schools.

The aim of the CCF is to help young people develop self-reliance, initiative and leadership. Schools that run CCFs often have sections for all three services - the activities in a Navy section would typically be diving, sailing, power-boating, navigation and adventure training; the RAF could have access to gliders and light aircraft and also train in applicable ground subjects; and the Army would focus mainly on outdoor "field" activities such as weapon training, shooting, map reading and field-craft. All cadets follow a training programme in drill, weapon training, map reading and first aid and often take part in central summer camps which are attended by CCFs from all over the country and also attend training weekends.

Whilst Quentin Davies MP, who heads the NRS, believes that basic military training is good for character and team building as well as being good exercise, concerns are being raised about teaching shooting skills at a time of increasing youth gun crime. No doubt also Britain's teachers will be throwing up their arms in horror at the thought of the Armed Forces in our schools with their immoral recruitment methods and militaristic propaganda.
Link> The Guardian: Brown backs army cadet corps plan for schools
Link> BBC: Brown 'backs' more school cadets
Link> Lenin's Tomb: Gordon Brown promotes gun crime
Link> AV: Army cadets attacked in Birmingham
Link> AV: National Recognition Study - key points

Link> The Guardian: Balls intalks of cadet forces in schools

Army cadets attacked in Birmingham

So now anti-war protestors have started attacking youngsters. A cadet group in Birmingham are not only having to put up with verbal abuse but are having stones, bricks and fireworks thrown at them by gangs of local youths. Needless to say the police are doing little about it - probably because they scared of being accused of infringing the human rights of this low-life. The Government is meant to be encouraging the wearing of uniform in public; you can see why people are reluctant to do this when they get little support when they need it from the police.
A Sergeant in the Cadet Force said: "Often the youths throw oral abuse at us and nearly all the time they refer to the army and that we are killing their brothers and their families overseas". These immigrants should be the ones being kicked out of the country and sent back to join their families overseas, not Gurkha veterans!

Link> Birmingham Mail: Thugs attack Birmingham army cadets

Army bursaries now on offer

In a neat counter-swipe to the schoolteachers' criticism of the Armed Forces recruitment methods, the Army is reported to be introducing a bursary scheme aimed at boosting recruitment and improving the literacy skills of new recruits. The Army is finding that the standard of education in the UK is so poor that almost 50% of its applicants have a reading age of 11.
It seems that, if the teachers can't teach our kids to read, write and add up, the Army is going to have to do it for them!

The £2,000 offer will encourage school leavers to 'stay in education and then join the army'.

Link> The Guardian: Army offers bursaries to boost recruitment
Link> Armed Forces International: British Army Launches Bursary Scheme for New Recruits

The Can'ts vote to ban the Forces from Britain's schools

At their annual union conference Britain's teachers have voted to ban Britain's Armed Forces from our schools. So, the Can'ts are trying to get their own back; talk about playground politics. Their immature, irresponsible antics at their conference only serve to highlight how they are failing our children in our schools.

The Times: If teachers cannot understand the difference between political opposition to the war in Iraq and the role of the Army in the defence of the realm, then pity the pupils they claim to teach. It is one thing to grandstand at an NUT conference about the so-called iniquity of an illegal invasion. It is quite another to undermine a profession, which is an essential pillar of the State, in front of a class of impressionable youngsters.
Link> AV: The Can'ts v the Cans: teachers object to Britain's Armed Forces
Link> The Times: The Army must go into schools
Link> The Times: Armed Forces are proud to to raise pupils’ awareness of career possibilities
Link> The Scotsman: Chalk this up to teacher training
Link> BBC: Teachers vote to hold pay strike !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!