THE RAF has enlisted its youngest ever recruits as pupils from a Swindon primary school took a trip to the country’s largest air force base earlier this month.

A group of seven-year-olds from The Croft Primary School, Marlborough Lane, were given the chance to climb aboard the latest military aircraft at RAF Brize Norton.

The Oxfordshire station is the largest in the Royal Air Force with around 5,800 service personnel and is home to air transport, military parachuting and air-to-air refuelling.

The visit was organised by the national education and veteran’s charity SkillForce, which runs a range of character education programmes in 200 schools nationally that develop self-confidence, resilience and character and boost pupil achievement and attendance.

Candida Hutchinson, principal at The Croft Primary School, said: “SkillForce is an incredibly engaging programme which allows children and families to achieve success and develop values beyond those achieved in the classroom.

“The increased confidence I have seen within some children and their parents has been amazing.”

SkillForce employs predominantly ex-services personnel who have served their country and now wish to serve their community to inspire young people to succeed.

The pupils were joined by their parents who took part in such activities as team building exercises, first aid, orienteering, rock climbing and were allowed to climb aboard the colossal airplanes RAF A330 Voyager and the C-130J Hercules.

Martin Bonner, SkillForce area manager for the West of England and South Wales and a former RAF parachutist, organised the visit with Sgt Andy Banks who has supported SkillForce for the last two years.

The C130 Hercules that the school pupils visited is an aeroplane that Martin used to jump and dispatch parachutists from when he was in the RAF.

He said: “SkillForce instructors are predominantly ex-Services and that is true of my background. My experience of being in the RAF taught me resilience, leadership, courage and discipline as well as respect for others.

“To be able to pass on those values to children and young people to help them focus on their education whilst gaining additional skills, and to achieve more than they thought possible, is a real privilege.”

Ben Slade, chief executive of SkillForce, said: “We work with schools to help transform lives enabling children and young people to build character, self-confidence and resilience, and gain essential skills that will help them succeed in education and life.”

For more information about the range of SkillForce’s character education programmes in schools, please contact Martin Bonner, Area Manager for the West of England and South Wales, SkillForce on 07585 955549 or email martin.bonner@skillforce.org.