CHILDREN at a school in Carterton adorned themselves in camouflage and military garb as they enjoyed their annual ‘Camo Day’.

The event, now in its third year, sees members of the RAF based at Brize Norton visit Gateway School in Carterton to offer youngsters an insight into what their roles entail.

As well as educating the children about the RAF, the event saw the school raise about £250 for SSAFA – the armed forces charity which supports military families.

About 70 per cent of the pupils at Gateway Primary School are part of RAF families, so the event was launched to further develop the bond between the school and the nearby air base.

There were 12 activities open to the children, both from Gateway and other nearby schools, on Friday, including the chance to meet the police dog section and explore the interior of a fire engine.

The youngsters were able to meet members of the RAF who work in a variety of roles, including members of the Falcons Parachute Display Team.

Gateway School headteacher Rebecca Tout said: “The children loved getting to meet the police dogs, which were all very friendly and well behaved.

"They also really liked climbing around the massive fire engine.

“We also had some drill instructors come in and shout at the children and put them through their paces.

"The children really loved it and the staff enjoyed it as well.

“The day has just grown and grown since it was first started three years ago and it’s definitely something we’ll continue to do.”

Ms Tout added that, despite the young age of the children at the school, the Camo Day serves as an introduction into jobs available in the armed forces.

She said: “The children are aged between five and 11 but this opens them up to what’s on offer in terms of jobs in different parts of the RAF.

“A lot of people tend to think it’s just one thing and not the wide range of things that are available.”

The group of 34 RAF personnel running activities stayed throughout the afternoon before returning to the base.

Ms Tout said: “We want to offer our sincere thanks to the members of the RAF for giving up their afternoon to come and put on a fabulous day for the children.

“It was a great day. Everyone got dressed up and we raised money for SSAFA, which does fantastic work.”