Bath

Climbing Weekend Mynd area

Five Cadets and two staff set off at around 6:30 Friday night to a long slow drive to a campsite near Shrewsbury.3 1/2 hrs later we arrived on site in the dark and rain. Well done for setting your tents up. Saturday it rained. it rained a lot! The climbers had the luxury of Shrewsbury indoor climbing wall. Saturday learning how ascend with a bottom rope, how to belay and help your team member climb the wall. Then they were bouldering followed by learning al kinds of methods used in climbing. The bouldering was a great success and all of the cadets thoroughly enjoyed that. The wall was high and at times the height got the better of them until they were able to steal their nerves for the descent.
Sunday was a bitter minus 1 in the morning ice and snow on the ground. Lovely and warm and dry at the climbing wall though.

Everyone said they want to do more climbing.

A great weekend. 

 See the albumn of photos

Pride in Bath Cash for your Community

Thanks to everyone who voted and collected the tokens. At joint 4th Place we were awarded £500 which will really help the launch of the Bathwick Centre. 

See the You Tube video

See who else was awarded funds for their projects >>

January Bag Pack

It was great to see almost half of the unit turn out on a Saturday Mornining in Keynsham for the bag Pack. I am sure it was well worth the 3 hours you helped the customers of Tescos pack their shopping.

There were many comments on how smart you young people looked and how polite you were. Well done to you all. 

Would just like to let you know that we have raised £407 within our three hour stint at tesco today

November 100 Club Draw

Winnning 100Club

No.60

Fundraising Poppy Party

Saturday 11^th June 2011, Bath Sea Cadets celebrated the 90^th Anniversary of the British Legion by holding a party at their unit headquarters. During the day the cadets offered visitors several activities from just dance on the Nintendo wii to traditional apple bobbing. Each activity had a nominal fee so that the cadets could raise as much money as possible for a charity they chose to support earlier in the year as a result of one of their divisional meetings.

Visitors to the party peaked at 40, ages ranging from 9 to 70 allowing people young and old to interact and share thoughts about the British Legion. The Commanding Officer of Bath Unit donated food for the party and the local branch supported the party by providing free gifts and decorative aids.

The result of the day raised £300 for the legion which was considered a very good sum for a party that started at 1300 and finished at 1800. The chairman of the British Legion Major Ricki Peters MBE R’td visited the unit to collect the cheque for £300 and thanked the cadets for all their hard work and also stated he would like to affiliate Bath Unit with the Somerset Branch and to start this he has issued a bond of friendship certificate.

Blues Night 27th October 2011 - Presentations

so many cadets earned badges of various types and we even had some advancements.
All I can say is it is always such a great thing to see young people putting so much into what they do as a hoby achieving so much.
It always makes me proud to know such great young people.
Well done to you all and keep the enthusiasm up.

Click on the picture below to see the album

2011-10-27 Blues Night Presentations

Full Blues Night - 08 Sep 2011

The Cadets are all dressed in their best uniform.

Inspections, Presentations and Enrolments.

We had the honor of enrolling 3 New entry cadets who have come up from being Juniors.
Well done the three of you. You can now enjoy being a part of the seniors and taking part in courses and other events you couldn't as a Junior.

Blue and Green badges were also presented to Juniors for completing sections of their training over the summer period.  We were very proud to present Commodores pennants to those juniors who have achieved so much as they reach the last few months as a junior cadet. I imagine you must be excited about the prospect of being senior cadets.

We also presented badges to those cadets gaining qualifications from this year’s training. Well done to you all for the hard work and dedication you have shown. We are all very proud to be part of such a great unit.

>>Click here<< to see the albumn

02 Sep 2011 - Juniors Raft Float Test

Junior Cadets from City of Bath Unit have been gathering material found around the home for a Raft Building Project they were set at the beginning of last month.
With a little guidance they have built a raft from water and milk bottles, shopping bags and a pallet.
Tonight they float tested their contraption and managed to get 3 Juniors on the raft.
To their amazement they managed to get 3 Juniors on the small raft and paddle across the river Avon and back.

Pictures Taken are available in the Unit Photo Album
>Click Here<

01 Sep 2011 - Unit Summer Camp - Photos

This is a great opportunity for cadets to experience living outdoors and take part in all kind of activities unique to the summer camp.
Hill Walking, Navigation, Building shelters, Sleeping in Tents, Cooking outdoors, Obsticle Courses etc.

Have a look at the photos taken this year. >Click Here<

03 Mar 2011 - Mayors Visit

The Mayor of Bath visited our unit.
Well done to our new PO Cadet, an amazing achievement by any standards.
Filton Unit staff also visited and helped run some of our classes.
Cadets commented on how much they enjoyed working with the staff from Filton unit.
Well done guys you made a great impression.

See the Pics

Birthday Cake for all

It was Jnr, Langley Stephens' birthday recently..

To be able celebrate it with all the guys and girls at the Unit, he got his mum to make an amazing birthday cake and enough cupcakes for everyone. Good Lad!

Xmas Cadet Dinner 2010

The Cadets certianly out did them selves this year at our An nual Cadet Mess Dinner.
Impecable manners and fun all around.
Mess Rules and forfits, a tradition in the mess of the Royal Navy were devised for the ocasion.
We are all very proud of you guys and girls and you should be very proud of your selves.

A Great night was had by all.

See the Pictures

Bath Sea Cadet Photo Albumns

Have a good look around, there are some cracking pictures.

Click here to see Google Photo Albumns

29 Aug 2010 - Ranks Swell for Blues Night.

Blues Night saw more qualifications being given out to quite a few of the Cadets and Juniors. Well done guys and girls for all the work it takes to gain these qualifications. We know you are proud of your achievements and rightly so.

See the Presentations

Bath Cadet Named Young Citizen of the Year 2010

Congratulations to Leading Cadet Charlotte Perrington, who has recently been named as Bath Mayor's Young Citizen of the Yea.

LC Perrington was nominated for the award by PO Fairnington, who said "During the last year her hard work and endeavour has seen her achieve so much both within cadets and also outside of it, including academically and personally.

"Within the unit she excels at the majority of competitions, while in school she is a competent student."

The annual award is open to anyone aged 16 to 18 who has served the local community, or done something special at school. As well as receiving a £150 prize, Charlotte will also help mayor Shaun McGall at official functions and events over the next year.

Come to the Reunion 2010

Come and join us at this year’s reunion for everyone who has been, or is part of ,The City of Bath Sea Cadet Unit.
We will be charging on door and for liquid refreshments inside. There will of course be a barbecue, and a raffle with some amazing prizes to be won and plenty of time for socialising and meeting up with all your old friends.
If you are on facebook please log in and mark to attend.

Facebook Event

3 Peaks Challenge 2010

This weekend saw eight members of the Unit staff take on their biggest fundraising challenge yet - climbing the three tallest peaks in the United Kingdom in less than 24 hours.

The team battled horrendous weather, personal fatigue and the 50 mph speed limit imposed on the expedition minibus to complete the Challenge in 23 hours and 41 minutes.

Lead by PO Fairnington, the team started at the foot of Ben Nevis at 0607 on the Saturday morning, scaling Scotland's largest peak in just over five hours.

A further six hours of frantic driving then found them starting along the path to Wasdale Head - the start of a rigourous (and thankfully sunny) four-and-a-half hour climb up Scaffell Pike.

Six and a half hours later (twenty-two hours in to the Challenge) and with one peak to go the intrepid staff members arrived at the foot of Mount Snowdon, amidst some of the worst weather to be seen in the area this year.

Time was running out, and the team were faced with a choice: to go hell-for-leather for the summit and attempt to make the time, or admit defeat and merely go for completing the Challenge.

Needless to say drive, commitment and more than a little bit of macho bravado won through as three members of the team - S/Lt Lewis, PO Willis and PO Banjar - ditched their kit and took off up the mountain, dashing through a torrential downpour and 60 mph gusts to reach the summit at 0548 on the Sunday morning. The three had managed to climb the tallest mountain in Wales in less than two hours, and City of Bath SCC had completed the Three Peaks Challenge - raising over £2,500 for the Unit roof repair fund!

Congratulations to all eight members of the team - CPO Moore, S/Lt Lewis, PO Fairnington, PO Willis, PO Banjar, both PO Clancys and PO Hudd - and a huge thanks to PO Perrington, Bob Fairnington and CI (ATC) Norman Owens for driving them literally the length and breadth of the country.

26 Jun 2010 - Armed Foces Day Trowbridge

Three juniors went to Trowbridge today to take part in the Armed Forces Day. Unfortunately only two more juniors turned up to take part. The Day was incredibly hot and the arena was enormous. It was decided that because of the heat and lack of Juniors not to go ahead with the display. All was not lost. Those that attended still had a grand day looking around the stands and climbing over various pieces of military equipment. They were so well behaved it was a pleasure to take them.

Cracking Pictures

Raising the Flag 2010

Cadets from City of Bath Sea Cadet Unit joined Bath & North East Somerset Council in holding a flag raising ceremony on Monday 21st June at 10.30am in support of Armed Forces Day. The ceremeony was held in the presence of the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Admiral Sir Benjamin Bathurst GCB DL, serving members of the armed forces, veterans associations. The flag will be flown from the Guildhall in Bath until 26 June 2010.

08 Jun 2010 - Clean Ship is a Good Ship

The Cadets not only get to do all kinds of fun stuff but learn to look after there Unit.
It is not hard work and they actually find some of the tasks fun.

Picture Albumn

06 Jun 2010 - Awesome Pulling Regatta

Junior girls rock! What a team. The junior girls raced in two races. They pulled against two junior boys teams and beat them both. Not only did they beat them they beat them with style coming in boat lengths ahead of their rivals and earning the unit yet another cup. Go Juniors..
Junior Cadets Girls team also won their race giving us 3 wins out of 3 races. Go girls Go Bath!!!

See the Winning Pics

03 Jun 2010 - Blues Night

Tonight was mainly about inspecting uniforms and going through dress regs. Those who were practicing for the Pulling Regatta were on the water and at the end of the night we enrolled a new junior. It is always good to have new blood in the ranks.

See More Pics

30 May 2010 - Regatta Winners Bath Sea Cadet Unit!

Well done guys and girls you were magnificent!!! What a weekend, trawling through the results shows what a David & Goliath contest it was, we were unable to enter three races,but had seven firsts, six seconds, one third & one fourth! Weston who came second had a full entry but only one one first, & Chippenham, the real danger for the future had three firsts, but noticeably they were unable to enter two races so our two point lead was remarkable, we dominated the female races but are faceing a few tough years with a lack of senior boys.

Cadets going through to Area
• Bodman E single marathon
• Perrington C & Basson A double marathon & double sprint
• Perrington I & Basson E double marathon & double sprint
• Holmes J double marathon partner yet to be decided as Button J is unable to go forward.

We propose to train our team on Wednesday nights until Area, if approved, seven nights in total from Seven thro till Nine, intend to spend first hour or so working on techniques and finish each session with a timed race.

See The Pics

27 May 2010 - A Cracking Night

Simply a cracking night on the Water!!

More Pics

25 May 2010 - Working Towards BCU's

Tonight the Cadets were all working toward important aims. BTEC's. BCU Stars. Training toward the first of many competitions.

See the Full Albumn

18 May 2010 - Seniors on the Water

Tonight was Seniors night and everyone was on the water practicing for various competitions coming up this year.

More Pics

13 May 2010 - For one Night only...

Tonight the ASC went up river for the first time this year. Well done guys and girls for working hard to make this happen.We aslo saw "for one night only" on his 3 day break from over seas PO Banjar. Great to see him in unit lines. With 1/2 of the Juniors learning Bends and Hitches, a few Senior Cadets doing Map Work and everyone else on the Water it was another great night at Bath City Sea Cadets.

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11 May 2010 - On The Water Again

Getting onto the Water is becoming a habit now. All of the Seniors were on the water tonight.The ASC is ful off water again! We can't wait to get the new boat on the water. We could get another 10 - 15 mins of leasson time. Look out for the classic mistake of the new cadets in the Canoe...

All Pictures

06 May 2010 - Seniors and Juniors on the Water

Tonight we had all of the juniors and most of the senior cadets on the water. Kayaks, Canoes and the ASC. Juniors learning basic paddle skills and taking part in Pulling training, Seniors doing Pulling training and Kayaking.

More Pictures

03 May 2010 - Very Sad News

Sadly it was reported that a 14 year old sea cadet died after falling from the rigging into the Solent on Sunday 2nd May 2010. It was reported by the BBC on the link below.

BBC Report

02 Apr 2010 - Paddle Morning

Sunday Morning started cold and wet, yet 11 Cadets took advantage of the Paddle morning. Eager to get on the water JC Button, JC Towner, Cadet Snook, OC Clegg, OC Button, OC Van-Der-Meer, OC Perington, AC Basson, AC Holmes, AC Thorn and LC Perrington turned up at 09:00 and were on the water by 10:00.The group was split into two. An experience group who paddled up stream and the non experienced group who started learning the basics.

More Pictures

27 Apr 2010 - First Night on the Water

Water Water everywhere but not a drop to play on.
The winter has been far to cold to play on the water but now the weather has broken and activities take off with a splash with PO Clancy
While experience paddlers took to the water the newer cadets were learning all about the boats we have and their particular characteristics in the water with PO Perrington

More Photos

24 April 2010 - Staff in Training for 3 Peaks Challenge

Four of the Units Staff are in training for the Thre Peaks Challenge they are undertaking late on this year.
CPO Moore
PO Willis
PO Ferringtin
PO Clancy
This weekend they travelled to the north of wales to climb Snowdon. What a fantastic weekend they picked. Probably the clearest and warmest day of the year so far.

>More Photos<

17 April 2010 - Bag Pack BBQ

Well done to the brave few that attended today’s bag pack.
You certainly deserved the Barbecue in the afternoon.
How much did you manage to raise I hear you ask....
A fantastic £359.19
It was great to see you all down at the Unit for the barbecue.
Thank you to all of the staff and families for making it such a good event.

>More Photos<

15 Apr 2010 - Leadership Tasks

Cadets were given various tasks to complete.
They came up with some almost ingenious ideas of how to complete them.

>More Pictures<

28 Mar 2010 - Bag Pack, What a fantastic turnout ...

What a fantastic turnout from the cadets and Parents. Fantastic efforts all round and real enthusiasm at the tills paid off.
The final account for the day was a massive <b>£640.40</b> more than £200 above what we had predicted. An absolutely valiant effort all round.
Well Done All....

27 Mar 2010 - Remodeling Starts - 27/03/10

On Saturday 27th March the staff got down and dirty at the Unit to do a little remodeling.
Cupboards Emptied, Desks removed and walls built. Don't expect it to look the same when you come down this week.

12-14 Mar 2010 Full Bore Shooting Weekend by AC Bodman

Four members of the Bath City Unit and Two members of staff went to Oakhampton (Devon) for a Full Bore shooting weekend. The weekend was cold and very windy but we still had fun shooting the L98 Rifle on the ETR (Electronic Target Range). We shot at “fall when hit targets” at 100 meters. We had a great time and made loads of friends and can’t wait to go again.

26 - 28 Feb 2010 - A Cracking Unit Weekend

Families are encouraged to attend our Unit on Thursday 4th March to see what the cadets have been so hard at work doing this weekend in preparation for the RNP. (Royal Navy Parade)
Friday: Cadets and staff mustered at the unit for 20:00 followed by a briefing and some prep for Saturday’s events.
Saturday: The cadets rehearsed various roles for the RNP and to their credit they worked extremely hard.
Saturday Evening: All staff and cadets at went to Laser Storm (Melksham) for some laser gun shooting fun.
- First Shootout was an all out shoot ‘em up where it was everyone for themselves.
- Second Shootout they were split into Red and Green Teams. Green team won.
- Third Shootout was Cadets v Staff. Staff out numbered 2-1 came out on top as the victors.
OC Button took the highest score of the night and was presented with a Laser Storm T-Shirt for his dead eye shooting skills. A great evening was had by all. Sunday: Final rehearsals and clean ship.

Note from PO Ferrington Hi All I would just like to say thankyou for your support and making it a whole heartedly successful weekend, that would not be possible without your commitment and ideas to improve the evolutions. To those of you that dealt with the uniform I think that if you have the patience to keep pricking yourself in the finger all day you deserve a medal in my opinion. Many Thanks PO Ferrington

25 Feb 2010 - Junniors Are Presented with Section Badges

PPO Perrington presented some of our newest cadets with section badges today because they completed sections of the Junior Cadet Programme.

• JC Towner earned the Red Section Badge

• JC Lodder earned the Red Section Badge

• JC Basson earned the Blues section badge to add to Red and Green section badges already earnt.

• JC Basson was also presented with the Junior Cadet 1st Class Rate Badge which was achieved by gaining the Red section Badge and a minimum of 6 months attendance.

PPO Perrington was heard to say that is was a very proud moment for him presenting the badges to these young aspiring cadets.

2010 Happy New Year

The unit has opened its doors to a very cold new year with us having to abandon the first night due to the snow. While the year may be new, the staff are not and with the resignation of S/Lt (SCC) I Woodward, RNR from the post of Commanding Officer, our previous Officer in Charge, CPO (SCC) Jon Moore has taken up the post once again. "I am really pleased to be back in the command post in Bath, I have been a member of the unit since 1982 and I have always been amazed with how it constantly evolves. While our Senior numbers are slightly down, our Junior numbers increased by 40% at the end of 2009 and with 2 cadets reaching 18yrs and becoming staff in the first quarter I am looking forward to the changes that we will see this year."

18 Dec 2009 - Cadets Christmas Mess Dinner

A great turnout from both the cadets (in mess dress) and their stewards (the staff in fancy dress) for what was a memorable evening. The unit main deck was surrounded in sheeting and Christmas lights and our guest of honour Lt (SCC) L Painter, RNR gave a warm speech of her memories of Bath over the 30yrs she has had contact with it in her various roles.

A big thanks to all of the staff for transforming the unit, our guest of honour for bringing some grandeur to the occasion, the cadets for really making the effort and last but not least Mrs Perrington, Mrs Williams-Trim and Mrs Basson who cooked a 3 course meal that only mums can make!

08 Nov 2009 - Rememberance Day Parade

Well done to the whole unit who helped cover no less than 5 acts of rememberance in Bath and Trowbridge. The Bath Parade (supported by Trowbridge unit) threatened to be very wet but thankfully we managed to get away with cold and slightly damp.

The cadets dress and bearing was very good and they were a credit to both the unit and the corps at large. We will Remember.

07 - 13 Nov 2009 - TS John Jerwood

It's all well and good learning all the skills necessary for a trip on the briny blue within the safe, warm, dry and immobile confines of TS Avon, but as four City of Bath Cadets recently discovered, it's a different matter entirely to put those skills to the test for real.

OCs Bodman, Perrington, Basson and Clegg joined the ship's company of TS John Jerwood for a week-long voyage from Gosport to Southampton and back, living and working aboard for the duration of the passage. All four Cadets got a chance to experience a number of different roles on board as they worked towards completing their Offshore Hand 1 qualifications.

Each Cadet got a chance to try their hand at practical ropework, pilotage, chartwork and navigation whilst on board, and with the exception of a slight collisuion with a channel marker buoy, all went smoothly.

As well as time on the Jerwood, the Cadets also got to take a look around TS Royalist with whom they were sailing in company.

Aside from a few bouts of seasickness brought about by the rough seas in the Channel all the Cadets had a great time on board, and were given a great chance to put their hard-earned skills into action.

03 Nov 2009 - Halloween Party

We may have missed Halloween by a few days but the ghosts and goblins came out tonight for the Units' annual Halloween Party.

After all their hard work over the summer, the Staff felt that the Cadets deserved an evening of fun and games. No effort was spared in creating costumes that captured the Halloween sprit, and a frantic and slightly crazy lineup of games ensured that much fun was had by all.

None of this would have happened it wasn't for all the hard work that CI Bird and her friend put into decorating the main deck. Also a big THANK YOU to unit assistant Mrs Bodman for making her fantastic 'spooky' cup cakes to add to the horror of the night.

25 Oct 2009 - Runners up at the District ME Competition

Considering the team was solely of girls and one member short, Bath made an impressive statement at the Marine Engineering completion.
AC Herrington C, OC Herrington I and AC Brown pulled through, despite the crucial knowledge of the 4th team member that could have possibly pushed them to 1st place. Never mind guys, we still came 2nd!!!!!!

18 Oct 2009 - City of Bath take part in Tri Service Parade in Bristol

POC Bodman S, OC Bodman E and OC Clegg respectfully paraded for the final time with the Normandy veterans through the city of Bristol.
Our community appearances are increasing and we are still aiming to be there for our communities in the future. Next up - Remembrance Day!

10 Oct 2009 - City of Bath Represented at Area Swim

We are all very proud of Able Cadet Holmes who made it through to the area swimming competition and represented the winning District team. BZ

11 - 13 Sep 2009 - Cadet Training Weekend

A successful weekend with all cadets that attended gaining a qualification including:
Williams-Trim: - Drill
Holmes: - Drill
Button: - Seamanship
Clegg: - Communication

A well done to these cadets

06 Sep 2009 - Distirct Shooting Competition

Following up the success of the district swimming competition 4 of our determined cadets turned up the next day with enthusiasm to show off their shooting skills.
With harsh competition Williams-Trim, Holmes, Brown and Thorn made it to 6th place. Still, more points towards our unit. We're doing a great job guys and girls!!

05 Sep 2009 - Sucess at District Swimming Competition

Out of the 10 units in the district Bath came a proud 3rd overall in the district swimming competition. Not only are the cadets that took part to be thanked but those who boosted the morale and came to support. This is really showing what a great team we are!!

Places:
Junior Boys - 3rd
Junior Girls - 5th
Senior Boys - 4th
Senior Girls - 2nd
Aggregate Boys - 3rd
Aggregate Girls: 5th

21 - 23 Aug 2009 - Duke of Edinburgh's Award Training Weekend09

With the Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award marches coming up in October, PO Fairnington (accompanied by CI Lewis and both PPO Clancys) took LCs Williams-Trim and Brown on a nice gentle jaunt along the wind-blasted ridgeliness of the Black Mountains near Abergavenny for the final part of their training.

The weekend also provided a great opportunity for PPO Dominique Clancy to get some training in, as in September she's off to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro - a far cry from the sunny peaks of Table and Sugarloaf Mountains!

Based at Cwrt-Y-Gollen in the valley between the two mountains, the team ended up covering almost 30km over the course of the weekend,  over some very challenging terrain - and still had time to light a campfire and relax in the evening. Maybe they weren't working hard enough, PO Fairnington?

16 - 22 Aug 2009 - District Camp

This year's District Camp saw thirty Cadets and fifteen staff (including six and three respectively from City of Bath) take over HMS Bristol for a week of activities, instruction, and plenty of fun.

With the weather staying warm and bright for most of the week, Cadets were able to obtain qualifications in powerboating, sailing and pulling on the water around Portsmouth - in the shadow of H.M. Ships <i>Ark Royal, Illustrious and Invincible,</i> as well as most of the destroyer fleet - and provided the opportunity to pick up land-based specialisations in first aid, seamanship, navigation and chartwork.

Other highlights of the week included the chance to hear S/Lt. Woodward belting out 'American Pie' during the annual karaoke contest, an inter-division football tournament, and the chance to spend a week experiencing genuine warship accomodation.

07 - 10 Aug 20090 - Adventure Training Weekend

Ten of the Unit's Cadets spent this weekend tromping through the Cotswolds, sleeping under canvas and learning a whole range of useful navigation and survival skills under the watchful eye of PO Fairnington.

One of the more rigourous and exhausting dates in our training program, the weekend had to be extended by a day to accomodate a visit to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta (see below). Although aimed at helping the Duke of Edinburgh's Award team get in some hiking and land navigation practice, the weekend provided an excellent opportunity for some of our younger or less experienced Cadets to get a feel for the outdoors.

"The whole weekend went really well, and we couldn't have asked for better conditions" said PO Fairnington. "The Cadets were great, and I think most of them learnt quite a lot of new skills this weekend."

Thanks need to go to the Support Staff for making the weekend such a great success, and the Brown family for making sure the Cadets were fed and watered. A special mention should also be made for LC Williams-Trim, who not only displayed great potential as expedition leader, but also celebrated his 16th birthday while we were away. Happy birthday, Josh!

08 Aug 2009 - Bristol Balloon Fiesta

With more than 500,000 people flooding into Ashton Court during the four days of festivities, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is one of the most high-profile events in the entire region. Therefore it came as no surprise that when City of Bath SCC were offered a chance to help out on the Royal Navy recruitment stand, we jumped at the chance.

Gorgeous weather, a flypast by the Red Arrows and the chance to help set up and observe a Reserve Forces Capability demonstration made up for the slight change to the initial plan for the weekend (see above), and the ten Cadets who attended received numerous compliments on their appearance, professionalism, and overall conduct. This was a fantastic chance to raise the Units' public profile (despite the announcer on the day referring to the Corps as "The Royal Navy Cadet Club") and as usual the Cadets did themselves proud. Well done, guys and girls!

01 Aug 2009 - London Triathlon

Despite the fairly grotty weather, 1,500 people lined up to take part in the London Sprint Triathlon this weekend - and somewhere in the crowd were PO James Willis and PO Jamal Banjar, who have both been training hard to complete the 25km event.

Consisting of a 750m swim followed by a punishing 20km cycle cours and topped off with a final 5km run, the Sprint Triathlon is part of a weekend of different triathlon events, which combine to make the event the largest in the world.

A time of 1:18:21 was enough to secure 77th place for PO Willis, a phenomenal achievement that marks the culmination of four months of hectic training. PO Banjar (who boasted beforehand that he was fitter than his running partner, and therefore didn't need to train <i>quite</i> as hard) managed a respectable 1:27:38, a time which placed him 491st overall.

This was a fantastic personal achievement for both members of staff, and the Unit is very proud of what the pair accomplished. Congratulations, James and Jamal!

25 - 31 Aug 2009 - TS Royalist

Six Cadets from City of Bath SCC joined the crew of TS Royalist as she sailed from Milford Haven to Bristol to attend the annual Harbourside festival.

POC Bodman, LC's Williams-Trim and Nicholls, and AC's Brown, Thorn and Holmes spent seven days aboard the Corps' Sail Training Ship, learning all about how to handle, sail, and crew the 97-foot brig. They even got to take a term helming the vessel as she made her way through open water.

"It was a fun week, and nothing really disastrous happened. No-one even got really seasick!" remarked POC Bodman. "It was a really good trip."

05 - 12 July 2009 - Cadet 100 Inter-Service Shooting Competion & Preparation

City of Bath's trio of wannabe Annie Oakleys spent the whole of last week on the range in preparation for, and then racking up impressive scores at, the Bisley Cadet 100 Inter-Service Shooting Competition at Pirbright.

POC Bodman, AC Thorn and AC Brown all turned in stirling performancess, with AC Brown coming 95th overall - one of only seven Sea Cadets nationwide to make the top 100. She was also selected for the South-west Somerset Cup squad for Sunday's inter-area competition.

All three markswomen shot their personal best scores during the weekend of the competition, and all three did the Unit proud. Congratulations, girls!

10 - 12 July 2009 - Duke of Edinburgh's Award Training Weekend

The Units' DofE team were put through their paces on the Mendip Hills this weekend, with a mixture of weather contributing to what PO Fairnington referred to as "a real expedition."

The team, accompanied by an Air Cadet, spent the weekend practicing navigation under the leadership of LC Williams-Trim, who showed a good deal of promise as an Expedition Leader. It was noted by an ex-Army Lieutenant that the Sea Cadets "really knew their drills well" - a glowing compliment!

However, the real stars of the weekend were Williams-Trims' new boots and LC Nicholls' socks, both of which held up to the rigours of the weekend and prevented their feet getting too wet, apparently.

28 June 2009 - District Pulling and Boat Handling Competition

Despite a much smaller turnout than last month's kayak regatta, the Annual District Pulling Competition was a tightly-fought event with both City of Bath teams putting in great performances.

With a controversial decision preventing them bringing home two first place positions, the boys'race team (coxed by LC Dan Nicholls) had to make do with fourth place overall.

The girls' team, under POC Stacey Bodman, did even better. A strong performance on the water led to them finishing in second place on the leaderboard, leaving City of Bath in third place for the entire competition, which isn't a bad result when you consider that we didn't have a single Handling team entered!

23 June 2009 - Unit Photographs

The annual Unit photograph is now on sale for £5, and features most of the unit as dressed at the Unit Cocktail Party last weekend.

Copies come ready-framed and labelled. Anyone interested in purchasing a copy should contact PO Quilliam.

22 June 2009 - Flag Raising Ceremony

Four Sea Cadets from City of Bath represented the unit at this years' Flag Raising ceremony, marking the start of a week of preparations for Armed Forces Day.

Accompanied by PPO Fairnington,OC Abigail Basson, LC Josh Williams-Trim, LC Dan Nicholls and OC Regan Clegg spent the morning chatting with the veterans at the Guildhall and representing the Unit at one of the city's most important ceremonies. By all accounts they impressed just about everybody present with their discipline, appearance and general conduct - well done to everyone involved!

20 June 2009 - Annual Cocktail Party

Pomp and Circumstance at Sea Cadet Cocktail Party The Mayor and Mayoress of Bath, along with over forty Cadets, parents and associates, visited TS Avon for City of Bath Sea Cadets’ first annual cocktail party on Saturday. Commander Steven Webber RNR, Commanding Officer of HMS Flying Fox, was also present as Guest of Honour at the cocktail party, held to raise funds for the renovation of TS Avon. Complimentary food, cocktails (both alcoholic and alcohol-free) and glorious weather all contributed to a wonderful evening, capped off with a traditional Evening Colours ceremony. “I have to admit that this was the first time in my 20-year career in the Navy and the Navy Reserve that I have been inside a Sea Cadet Unit” said Cdr. Webber. “Now, after seeing the effort and dedication put in by the Cadets and Staff, if my child ever asked to join the Sea Cadets I would support her wholeheartedly.” “We couldn’t have asked for a better day” added Sub-Lieutenant (SCC) Ian Woodward RNR, the Commanding Officer of City of Bath Sea Cadet Unit. “The weather was brilliant and it was a real honour to welcome so many friends and associates of the Unit. “The Cadets made a great impression on those present with their immaculate appearance, discipline and warm hospitality.”

24 May 2009 Avon District Kayak Regatta

Sea Cadets from the City of Bath unit put their canoeing skills to the test in Chippenham last month – and ended up being crowned kayaking champions for the district.

In a tightly-fought competition on the River Avon, 16 cadets and ten members of staff beat off spirited challenges from other local units, some of whom had travelled from as far afield as Swindon, to win the Avon District Kayak and Canoe Regatta.

Ten units attended the event on the 24th May, and took part in a series of races including short-distance sprinting and a gruelling marathon - on one of the hottest days of the year so far.

Cadets were able to show off their skills in both individual and two-man kayaks, and the boys and girls from City of Bath proved they were more than up to the task, finishing in the top three in every race category held on the day across all age groups – an achievement that led to them being named overall champions.

“It was a great day for the Cadets, and they’ve certainly done the unit proud” said Sub-Lieutenant (SCC) Ian Woodward, Commanding Officer at TS Avon, where the City of Bath unit is based. “They have put a lot of time and effort into their kayaking skills, and it really paid off on the day.”

Leading Cadet Josh Williams-Trim, 16, won three of the hardest-fought contests of the day, coming out on top in the Boys Individual Open Sprint as well as being a member of the winning pair in the Boys’ Sprint and Marathon Doubles.

“We treated it like we treated Bath City winning promotion” he laughed. “As we crossed the line, we were singing Bath City songs.”

10 May 2009 - DofE Bronze Practice Expedition 08

Blisters, snakes and spilt rice couldn't dampen the spirits of the City of Bath SCC  Duke of Edinburgh's Award (Bronze) team as they spent a beautiful weekend walking around the Mendips in preparation for their final DofE marches later in the summer.

The highlight of the weekend's walk came when OC Basson stumbled (literally) upon a friendly adder that had come along to say hello.

Thankfully the team managed to avoid a repeat of last month's heat exhaustion incident, the only injuries reported being a couple of blisters and a spilt pot of ration-pack rice, much to A/C Nicholls' dismay.

03 May 2009 - Mere Cup

Rogiett Moor rang with the sound of gunfire this weekend, as cadets from across the South West turned up to compete in the Mere Cup shooting tournament.

Among the rifle-toting Cadets were City of Bath SCC's own shooting team, consisting of POC Bodman, AC Thorn and AC Brown.Although the team didn't place the three markswomen all put up a sterling performance, shooting at ranges of almost twice the distance that they are used to.

19 April 2009 - Shooting Weekend

As part of their preparations for the international shooting camp and competition at Bisley in the summer, POC Bodman, AC Brown and AC Thorn spent the weekend training on the ranges at Sennybridge. With just a few months left til the week-long camp, the girls are making good progress.

"It was a good weekend for the girls" said UA Bodman, who accompanied the team. "And useful practice also for the Mere Cup in a couple of weeks."

Best of luck for that, girls!

07 April 2009 - Swim Tests

With the boating season looming, Cadets faced the chilly waters of the River Avon for their annual swim tests this week. Needless to say, every Cadet present passed the test with flying colours, despite plenty of complaints about the temperature of the river. Kudos goes to the OIC, SLt Woodward, who spent the evening treading water in full drysuit in order to supervise the Cadets. As he later claimed: "The suit may keep you dry, but it doesn't stop you from getting freezing cold!"

31 Mar 2009 - Bowlplex Visit

The Cadets turned out in force for the last night of the winter programme, filling two minibuses for an evening at Bowlplex Longwell Green. With scores ranging from 46 up to a whopping 126 (of which the XO was very proud) we'll be the first to admit that we didn't set the lanes on fire, but it was a good laugh nonetheless. While the pros on the Brunswick tour may not have too much to worry about on the bowling alley, we're certainly not short of talent in the video arcade. With the girls busting a move on Dance Dance Revolution, PPO Fairnington showing off his marksmanship skills on Time Crisis, and the lads chalking up impressive times on some driving game or another, it seems the Units' skills aren't just confined to the water! All told, it was a nice, relaxed evening to conclude a busy few months. Don't expect a break, though - things are going to be just as hectic, and just as much fun, throughout the summer programme which kicks off next week!

18 Feb 2009 - HMS Ledbury

On Wednesday the 18th of February 10 Cadets from Bath, accompanied by SLt Woodward and TI Hudd, went to sea with HMS Ledbury for the day. The Cadets had a tour of all the ships' departments, and enjoyed lunch Onboard. All the Cadets had a wonderful day (despite the early start) Many thanks to the Ships Company of HMS Ledbury for hosting us - and letting us drive their ship. Of course, don't just take our word for it... here's what the Cadets had to say!

“From visiting HMS Ledbury I learned that females can’t be divers! I enjoyed the whole day, especially watching the fire drill.”
“A very good day – learned a lot about life on a ship”
“It was very enjoyable learning about the ship”
“It was great fun – I enjoyed steering the ship”
“Ledbury was great, though the steering wheel was tiny compared to the size of the ship”
“I really enjoyed the tour of the ship, it was really interesting”
“I really enjoyed going on Ledbury and learning about the diving”>br> “I loved wearing the gas mask! I felt like I was in a fire.”
“The whole experience was good.”

19 Dec 2008 - Christmas Mess Dinner

On the 19th of December the Cadets sat down to a full mess dinner on the Main Deck - hosted by the Mess Vice President SLt Woodward with CPO Moore as the Guest of Honour. A great night was had by all.

Mess Dinner Pictures