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Clare Ballantyne

I joined the RAF Section of the CCF in Year 9 at King Edward VI Grammar School in Louth, Lincolnshire. I was always booking courses through the Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training and completed White Water Kayaking, Basic Rock Climbing and Caving courses as well as a Nordic Skiing expedition.

I was also in the Marching Band. I rose to the rank of Sergeant before leaving in Y13 and enjoyed creating fun events for others to take part in. I went on to study a Master’s in Earth Science at Oxford University.

My highlight

I went on a CCF trip to Norway in 2017 for a Nordic Skiing course on the Hardangervidda plateau. One morning I got up early to see the sun rise. It was white everywhere and so beautiful and I thought I’d love to experience more of this in the future.

Doing that course set me on the trajectory to where I am now, getting ready to set off for a job in Antarctica for six months. I’ll be helping to run the world’s most remote post office. The courses I completed at cadets certainly fuelled the love of travel and adventure that helped me land this dream job.

Are you interested in joining us as a volunteer? Please see more information and how to get in touch with a unit near you in this dedicated volunteer section on our website.