Buying a drink or snack has never been easier for cadet force adult volunteers on annual camp in Strensall, York.
That’s because the RFCA’s professional support staff at the Cadet Training Centre there have introduced a new, contactless system to replace cash payments.
The new development is proving a hit with both adult volunteers buying food and drinks as well as those whose job it is to sell them, including Joan Speight, pictured left.

Time-saver
Joan said: “This new system means our adult volunteers can buy any of our stock by contactless payment in the same way as they would if they went to their local supermarket.
“For me it’s been a great time-saver because it means the system adds up all the purchases instead of me having to do it in my head. Also I don’t have to worry about having a supply of cash to guarantee I have enough change for everyone.
“But the biggest time-saver of all is when it comes to cashing up. That job used to take a good hour or so each day and now it’s done automatically.”
Stock control
Tom said: “This annual camp is the first time we’ve been able to use the system with such a large group of volunteers.
“The volunteers generally spend two whole weeks at the centre during annual camp so it’s important they can buy some basic things on site.
“Before the whole system was disproportionately cumbersome and time-consuming – particularly when it came to controlling stock. However this more up-to-date approach is easier for customers and means stock-taking is done for us automatically so we know when we are running low on supplies and need to restock.”