East Anglia RFCA have completed an upgrade of the Harleston Army Cadets’ hut for the Norfolk Army Cadet Force, creating a more welcoming space for the Army Cadets and adult volunteers who train there.
Lt Samuel Carter said: “Having been the detachment commander of the Harleston Troop for the past 4 years, this building upgrade work really inspires me to continue providing the Cadet Experience for the children of Harleston.”
The East Anglia RFCA Estates team made improvements to the building inside and outside, to make the space more functional, more practical and more welcoming.
As an energy-saving measure, the team installed new electric heaters with timers; so the heating can be set to turn on just before the detachment opening times and turn off again automatically at a set time. This means when the cadets and adults arrive on a cold day, the building is warm and welcoming, and there’s no risk of the heaters accidentally remaining on while the building isn’t in use.
Inside, all the rooms were repainted and the team also installed energy-saving LED lighting, new hard-wearing vinyl flooring and new internal doors.
Externally, the RFCA team made it easier for the cadets to train outside during the winter months by improving the external lighting, fitting powerful yet energy-efficient LED lights, and adding a footpath outside the rear exit. An old brick outbuilding was removed, freeing up extra space on site.
They also replaced the guttering, repainted the timber cladding, and installed double-glazed uPVC windows to keep the building looking sharp for years to come.
The RFCA Estates team manage over 500 buildings across East Anglia and deliver a year-round programme of improvements that sits alongside capital projects and maintenance workstreams. This project was completed with a 6-week lead time and GED Building Limited were appointed as the main contractors to carry out the works.
This is another great example of the work the RFCA team carries out throughout the year; adding energy-saving measures and adding in key features to make the buildings easy to run locally by detachment commanders.