The Supershed

The Supershed is a small square building just outside the perimeter of the DERA airfield at Llanbedr. It shares a site with the national ATC adventure training centre and was originally a disused storeroom which had been allowed to deteriorate to a very poor state. Many years ago HBWATG invested a lot of time and effort making it habitable and installing sleeping, cooking and storage facilities. The group uses the shed regularly as a base for cadet and staff courses, and for Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme expeditions. When we haven't been using it, other RAF and ATC units have "enjoyed" its primitive facilities, by prior arrangement with the chief instructor of the Llanbedr centre

Despite regular working weekends by group staff to maintain and improve the building, increasingly stringent building regulations threatened our use of the shed, and a crisis came late in 1999 when we were told to close it down. For several months the future of the shed was in doubt: would it be knocked down to make way for an extension to the main centre? Would HQ Air Cadets take it over, or put up a new building in its place?

Eventually, we were told that we could continue to use the building if we were prepared to make it comply with all the current regulations. The interior layout would have to be changed to provide adequate accommodation for male and female cadets and staff, a second toilet would have to be added and numerous changes would be required to comply with food preparation and fire safety regulations, including rewiring and the installation of fire and smoke detectors and  emergency lighting

Fortunately the group includes skilled craftsmen who were prepared to commit to the work, and we have managed to scrape together enough money for the materials. All the structural, plumbing and electrical work has been done and we now hope to clear the remaining obstacles - mainly regulatory and administrative ones - to start using the building again during 2003

Wing Adventure Training Technical Officer: Flt Lt John Smith RAFVR(T)         Web site by: Flt Lt Geoff Bowles RAFVR(T)       Last updated  18 August 2003