Tour of the Defence Academy

Today I was invited to a tour of the Defence Academy at Shrivenham, which you can see in the photographs above.  This was part of a 'Big Curry Lunch' event which was organised by the academy to raise funds for the three services' charities; the RN Benevolent Trust, the Soldiers' Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund.

We had an opportunity to visit the Defence Capability Centre (top right), which houses the ammunition hall, the synthetic environment laboratory and to see some of the education and training facilities at the college.  I even had a chance to take part in a simulation exercise as a gunner in an army tank - quite a sobering experience before lunch!

The last time I visited the academy was several years ago when I was then Vice-Chair of Planning (Policy) at the Vale of White Horse District Council.   We were on site to view some of the buildings and at that time the underpass was under construction.  The college has some interesting architectural features including the Officers' Mess which is designed and built to the same shape and size of HMS Victory.  This is where we ate our lunch in style.  We sat at a table in the glass prow of the ship and I had an excellent position right at the end.   I believe there was about £1,500 raised as a result of this venture.

Another point of interest is the bronze sculpture (bottom right) of cormorants.  The cormorant is the symbol of the academy because of its capability in the sea, on land and in the air and is known for its ability to adapt to its environment.

Check out the Defence Academy website here.  We are very fortunate to have such an excellent facility on our doorstep and I am pleased to have been part of that initial planning process.