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The Admiral of the Sea Cadets, HRH The Duke of York opened a purpose built £650,000 Sea Cadet boating and residential centre on 3 December 2014 at Derwenthaugh Boat Station.

His Royal Highness was shown around the centre and Hebburn and Sunderland Sea Cadets were among many of the region's cadets to show off their skills in a variety of seamanship, first aid, horn pipe and cook steward displays. Accommodating up to 20 Sea Cadets and 10 volunteer instructors at any one time, the centre has already seen over 800 young people secure valuable boating qualifications since its completion in October 2013. The new accommodation block ensures Sea Cadets from across the country can undertake boating courseswithout the expense of daily travel, adding to the adventure of away from home training.

District Officer Lt Cmdr Alfie Simpson MBE RNR and Derwenthaugh Boat Station Principal said, “It was a great honour for us to receive our Admiral of the Corps, The Duke of York to officially open this magnificent facility and the Sea Cadets were overjoyed to be able to meet him and put on displays and performances. Boating is a fundamental aspect of the Sea Cadet experience and builds confidence, skills and qualifications. This is yet another fantastic example of how the Sea Cadets can benefit young people and make the difference to their future academic aspirations and employment prospects”.

Some of our cadets got the trip of a lifetime this spring with a 5 day trip onboard the Royal Navy flag ship HMS Ocean. The trip took place from Scotland to Sunderland and our cadets experienced life at sea up close and first hand during the voyage. They were treated to watching helicopter landings, tours of the ships engine rooms, gun handling and some even got the steer the big ship through the waves.

We strive to give young people a head start in life through nautical adventure and fun regardless of what career choice they make. This was an amazing experience which will stay with our cadets for life.

Hebburn and Sunderland Sea Cadet Jade Longstaff, aged 17, has been awarded the prestigious role of Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear Cadet. Jade’s new role as Lord-Lieutenant Cadet of Tyne and Wear involves assisting the Lord-Lieutenant in events, such as on parade for Royal visits, military and civic events and church services, as well as to act as an ambassador for Sea Cadets and young people living in our region. The role will last a year from March 2015. 

Jade has been a Sea Cadet for three years and amassed a vast array of nationally recognised qualifications across a range of disciplines such as sailing, marine engineering, maritime skills, power boating and Duke of Edinburgh - which will all help to give her that great head start in life.

Jade is pictured with Susan Winfield, OBE, the Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear.

On 8 February 2015, we were very fortunate to have received an invite from the Commanding Officer of HMS Duncan to visit the ship whilst she berthed at Northumbria Quay in North Shields. This Type 45 Destroyer is the youngest in the fleet and a sister ship to HMS Dauntless which we were invited to tour earlier in the year, and she is due to deploy to the Persian Gulf later in the year. We had a fantastic time and our thanks go to the staff at HMS Calliope for arranging it and the crew on HMS Duncan for their hospitality.

It's official, as of September 2014 we are now the proud owners of a new minibus! It's a fantastic asset to have and will help many of our cadets gain qualifications and enable us to create more adventurous activities for our cadets to enjoy. Mini buses aren't cheap, so we have spent many months fundraising and our thanks must go to the local businesses and organisations who have supported us. We are very grateful and excited at the possibilities!

Look out for us as we travel around the region....and beyond!