COVID-19 (CORONA VIRUS)
Update 22 February 2021
Dear Member, dear Cadets,
CCRS welcomes today’s announcements and is working with the single Services, with schools, and with shooting National Governing Bodies (NGB) to realise a return to shooting as soon as practicable.
Three things to highlight now:
● We are delighted to have secured invitations for all of our three national Cadet Rifle teams to compete at international level this year, and our current planning assumptions is that these should be realisable – we will keep all concerned informed.
● Regretfully, owing to Brunswick Camp being unavailable to us in July, trustees have had to cancel the Summer Central Meeting (ISCRM, the Schools’ Meeting and the Cadet Imperial) in their normal form, but we are working hard on alternative options, which we will communicate through Cadet Force channels.
● We are also working hard on plans to hold and/or sponsor various other events and competitions on an ‘as possible’ basis, including a training/refresher weekend for adult volunteers, so please keep an eye on this sections and on our Forecast of Events.
Please also watch out for announcements about launch of our updated and refreshed Annual Postal Competition 2021/2022, which will be launched on 1 April 2021.
I hope that this finds you well, and we look forward to seeing you as soon as possible!
Best wishes,
Mark Pountain
General Secretary
Update 19 January 2021
Dear Member, dear Cadets,
As we embrace the New Year you will not be surprised to learn that, as elsewhere, the consequences of the Coronavirus mean that we need to remain flexible in our planning and aspirations for 2021. With no residential, Face-to-Face (F2F), collective training for cadets before 1 April, we have had to cancel or postpone a number of events, including Exercise Maple Taste, although this is also giving us the opportunity to review and update various things, such as CCRS’s Rules for Postal Competitions – 2021/2022 will be launched from 1 April, so please expect that, and let’s see if we can get as many shooting as possible!
While ‘lockdown’ has had its inevitable consequences, the vaccine offers promise and a way forward. The virus and the vaccine represent, perhaps, two ends of a seesaw, with the pivot being how fast the vaccine can protect us and allow a return to a more permissive way of life.
While it is hard currently to predict when that might be, you will not be surprised to learn that we are busy exploring various shooting and competition options for 2021. We are committed to deliver as much as possible, and as agreed by our trustees, our principle and baseline promise is to deliver what we can when we can, as this is so important, and so we are looking at various innovative ways to support cadet shooting, whether they be virtual, postal or more localised competition.
Everyone will be aware of our International teams (the UK Under 17 Cadet Rifle Team, the British Under 18 Cadet Rifle Team – the ‘Athelings’, and the GB Under 19), the latter jointly sponsored with the NRA. While the virus had had its inevitable impact on international travel, I am delighted to announce that we have secured competitions of international standard closer to home for all these teams, and CCRS’s International Committee and its sub-committees selected squads just prior to Christmas. All applicants have been notified.
We shall be posting further and more regular updates from 1 February, so please watch this space. In the meantime, on behalf of the trustees and the executive team,
Best wishes
Mark Pountain, General Secretary
Update 12 August 2020
Following consultation with and advice from the Cadet Forces HQs, the decision has been made to cancel any activities planned for October. This includes the following:
International Teams Training & Assessment Weekend (8-11 Oct).
The Cadet Inter Services’ Skill at Arms Meeting (CISSAM) and pre-CISSAM single Service training (22-25 Oct). CANCELLED
Details of CCRS’ postal competitions will be published in the next few weeks, including the popular Commonwealth Matches, .22 Team Competitions (AKA The Country Life) and Smallbore Winter League. Watch this space for further details.
Update 27 July 2020
Following a meeting of the shooting representatives of the three cadet forces, and advice from Schools’ shooting officers, it will not be possible to run any central shooting competitions in September. CCRS regrets that it will not be able therefore to run the proposed Cadet Team Championships weekends of 26 to 27 September and 3 to 4 October.
Our planning for October is reliant on further advice from the Cadet Headquarters who are working up details for the resumption of face to face cadet activities. Updates will be published here as soon as we are able.
Update 22 May 2020
NRA Target Rifle Imperial 2020
Further to the 1 May update, more details of the proposed NRA Target Rifle week have been communicated. In summary, they are planning to run a meeting for up to 500 competitors based on the following:
Dates – 12 to 19 September 2020.
Programme
Sat 12 to Tue 15 Sep – Grand Aggregate (2 x short range 1 x long range each day) – does not include Queen’s I or St George’s I but will include an additional 10 round and 15 round competition to compensate.
Wed 16 Sep – Team Matches.
Thu 17 Sep – Queen’s I.
Fri 18 Sep – St George’s I, II and St George’s Final.
Sat 19 Sep – Queen’s II / Consolation Comps / Queen’s Final.
The plans detailed above are draft only and the NRA are asking its TR members for expressions of interest before confirming anything. We will update this page as required.
CCRS Cadet Team Championships
Further details of the proposed Cadet Team Championships are set out below. In planning these events, our first priority is the safety of everyone. The proposed schedule will be under constant review to ensure compliance with government and MOD advice.
Dates – 26 to 27 Sep and 3 to 4 Oct 2020.
Location – Century Ranges, Bisley.
Format – Teams of four, with eligibility based on ISCRM and the Schools’ Meeting for Community and CCF cadets, would compete at either of the weekends, with prizes for each competition, weekend and overall.
Zeroing – There may be an opportunity to zero rifles at 100 yards on each Friday pm prior to each weekend’s programme.
Programme
Saturday am – Check zero at 300 yards, followed by Surrey Cadet Match at 300 and 500 yards.
Saturday pm – Clayton Challenge at 300 and 600 yards.
Sunday am – Sawyer Cup at 300, 500, and 600 yards.
CCRS Support, Ranges and Staff – CCRS will book space on Century Range, and source range and administrative support.
Rifles and Ammunition – The competition is for the L81A2 CTR. There may be rifles available for teams to use; details will be communicated in due course. 155 grain ammunition will be provided.
Accommodation and Messing – If accommodation and messing is available at Brunswick, CCRS will book centrally for all teams who wish to use it.
We will be asking for expressions of interest soon. All proposals are subject to revision and are dependent on restrictions and rules in force at the time.
Update 1 May 2020
Further to our update last week, many of you will have now seen the NRA Coronavirus Update for 30 April, which can be found here.
Following the cancellation of the normal summer programme, and as previously notified, we have been working closely with the NRA, the four Cadet services, the NSRA, CPSA and our Trustees to plan a return to Cadet shooting as fully as possible as soon as it is safe to do so. We have had to take into account that there will be no planned national Cadet activity by Cadet forces until 1 September at the earliest. This means:
1. Now to September. Up to the start of September, CCRS will support ad hoc fullbore shooting on an opportunity basis, as and when it is practicable and safe to do so. This will depend on range availability and policy, as advised by the NRA. Please keep an eye on the website for further announcements.
2. Autumn 2020. Assuming that circumstances will permit, we have been in discussions with the NRA on a series of standard events as well as some new and innovative competitions for the autumn to support and revitalise target shooting for Cadets. Current planning includes:
– Fullbore (L81A2 CTR and CPLW/CPOW). In addition to the ‘normal’ autumn programme (Community Cadets weekend in September, training and assessment for BCRT and GBU19 in October), we are looking at organising competition weekends/Cadet championships for the CTR starting at the end of September, as well as the opportunity to join in NRA events. Further detail to follow soon, and we shall be testing market appetite and seeking expressions of interest in principle for these weekends to assist further planning.
– Fullbore (L98A2 Cadet GP). CCRS is still planning the Cadet Inter Services Skill at Arms Meeting (CISSAM) for Community Cadets in October, including enhanced pre-CISSAM training for the 3 services.
– Smallbore. For air rifle and smallbore shooting, CCRS will be launching the postal matches as soon as it is practical. Additionally, the Community Cadets’ Inter-Services Final is pencilled in for the end of the year.
3. Looking forward. We are planning for a full ‘normal’ calendar in 2021. This is still firming up, but you can find some of the events with dates already on our forecast of events page.
We thank all our members for their patience and support, and emphasise that our priority is the safety and wellbeing of all our stakeholders, to whom we send our continued best wishes.
Mark
Brig (Retd) Mark Pountain CBE
General Secretary
Council for Cadet Rifle Shooting