News

Thank you to Dunbar Community Council for recognising the amazing work of one of our Cadet Force Adult Volunteer Petty Officer (SCC) Michael Kaszuba. 

For a decade Michael ran the unit out of the shared facility at Castle Parks Barracks on North Road, Dunbar. 

Once again we are so proud of everything you have done for Sea Cadets Dunbar and the local community PO Kaszuba and you should be immensely proud of your achievements.

We have been selected as a charity for the local co-op community fund for the next year!

This is exciting for us and any money that is raised will be used to help fund the activities that all the cadets love to do such as going on one of the offshore voyages!

For more info you can look here: http://m0r.at/lvj

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting of Dunbar Sea Cadet Unit will be held at the at 1900 hrs on 29th day October 2020 to transact the following business. A link is available to the virtual meeting by emailing info@seacadetsdunbar.org

AGENDA

1. Apologies for Absence.

2. Opening address or comments by Chairman.

3. Minutes of the last AGM for adoption.

4. Matters arising from those Minutes.

5. Unit Chairman’s Report.

6. Commanding Officer’s Report.

7. Treasurer’s Report and adoption of accounts.

8. Election/Re-election of the Unit Management Team (UMT)* trustees

9. Any Other Business

*Notes:

• Election of the UMT – Individuals who are seeking election to the UMT must have their nomination proposed and seconded.

• Nominations can be sent to info@seacadetsdunbar.org

• There are criteria laid down in the constitution) as to who is eligible to sit on the UMT. Please contact Mrs P Swan for details.

• Any waiving of these criteria is at the discretion of the Volunteer & Business Support Manager.

Fully completed nomination forms need to be received by Mrs P Swan by close 28th October 2020

All newly elected UMT members will be required to complete a disclosure application, complete a P1 form – application to join Sea Cadets which includes a Trustee Declaration indicating that they know of no reason why they cannot become a charity trustee, complete e-learning and Induction Course within 6 months of joining

Dunbar Sea Cadets unit has been an integral part of the community in East Lothian since 1954.

It’s a thriving youth recreational organisation with 35 young people aged from 10-18 registered and 16 volunteers helping to run the unit.

As an outdoor waterborne group, the cadets usually spend 38 weeks of the year on the water, but due to Covid-19 it’s all stopped, and the organisation has been left relying on video calls to keep in touch.

With some of the youngsters potentially suffering from stress and disorientation that lockdown has created, so the unit’s Commanding Officer, Chief Petty Officer Martin Galloway, approached the Community Windpower and BeGreen Dunbar’s joint Covid-19 crisis fund for help with an idea.

Martin wanted to create wellbeing packs for the youngsters, who are dotted around the East Lothian area, to help ease any suffering the cadets might be feeling.

The pack will have recycled pens, notebooks, highlighters, treats and activity books, but he needed funded to buy them all, which is where the fund came in to supply the full cost of £1,165.

Martin said: “We are a surrogate family to our cadets and volunteers, all people who thrive outdoor, and love being active.

“Lockdown has had a huge impact on how we engage with our young people, some from the margins of society, others in vulnerable set ups.

“Even though we are engaging virtually through digital classrooms with our young people, the impact of lockdown in a rural area such as ours, cannot be underestimated and the long-term effects on our young people.

“We’re so grateful to Community Windpower and BeGreen for supporting the unit on this initiative and we can’t thank them both enough.

“Some of our cadets are in high deprivation areas, and family incomes have been hard hit as a result of Covid-19. These packs will be a welcome distraction to the young people and their families.

“It will show that we are still here to help and support them, and that they are not alone.”

The young people who attend Dunbar Sea Cadets thrive through activities, gaining skills and accredited qualifications such as Royal Yacht Association (RYA), Duke of Edinburgh Award and St Johns Ambulance First Aid.

They learn life skills through practical experience and, by working together, strategy, forethought, camaraderie, and teamwork.

Diane Wood, community benefits director at Community Windpower, which operates the Aikengall Community Wind Farms in East Lothian, said: “We know Dunbar Sea Cadets is a fantastic group to be part of and provides young people in the area with long-term skills and personal development that they might not otherwise have elsewhere.

“It’s so important we support all members of our communities during this Covid-19 pandemic, which is why we didn’t hesitate when Martin explained what they were planning to do with the funding.

“Children need something to help focus on something positive, to help with their mental health and encourage stimulating activity, and we hope these packs provide something positive for them at this time.”

We recently ran a Great Sea Cadets Bake Off for our cadets at #Dunbar. We chose the best presented meal!

Well done to Cadet 1st Class Samuel who has now received his The Great British Bake Off #StarBaker Apron. What do you reckon, a #minichef in the making!?