News

Two cadets and Sea Cadets volunteers have been recognised for their outstanding service in this year's Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

They are to receive national awards for their part in supporting their communities and workplaces during a difficult 2020, four of them for actions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many continue to play a vital role in keeping essential services running as key workers during the pandemic, such as within the NHS and other public services. Each has helped Sea Cadets adapt, innovate and emerge through these troubled times with resilience, often using new technology to ensure our cadets remain engaged.

Cadet Challenger BEM                                  
For voluntary service in support of young people, maintaining morale and cohesion of North West Area Sea Cadets. He is the first known example of one of our beneficiaries, a cadet being honoured by a national award

Suzanne Sweeney OBE                                
For services to Neo-natal provision in the NHS and to youth services provision through Sea Cadets

Gareth Davies MBE                                         
For services to young people and the local community through Sea Cadets

Nicole Geraghty MBE                                    
For services to essential engineering with Southern Water and voluntary service with the Sea Cadet Youth Development Charity during COVID-19

Liz Stephens MBE                                         
For Services to Sea Cadets in the North West of England

Oliver Chambers MBE                                    
For voluntary service to young people and the community in Birmingham
                               
Michelle Welsh MBE                                      
For services to Sea Cadets

Toni Salmon BEM

For services to the community.

As Commanding Office at Forest of Dean Sea Cadets, she has led virtual activity and made regular weekly calls to cadets’ families to check on their welfare. Toni also works as a food delivery worker working up to 60 hours, across seven days a week.

Gemma Lewis BEM

For services to the NHS and to the community through Sea Cadets

Nurse at Royal Gwent Hospital in front line against Covid-19 as well as being Commanding Officer at Newport Sea Cadets, leading Zoom sessions straight after 12 hour shifts.

Cadet Hayward

For voluntary service in the community in the county of Essex.

2nd cadet working hard with Brentwood’s Covid-19 Mutual Aid group and the Royal Naval Association, making hot meals and delivering them to those in need. When she joined Brentwood Sea Cadets four years ago,  she suffered from agoraphobia and refused to leave the house, in the wake of cyber and physical bullying.

Sea Cadets is a growing uniformed youth charity, with 15,000 cadets spread over 400 locations across the UK.   9000 volunteers deliver a stimulating programme for young people from a variety of different backgrounds ages 9 to 18, helping to shape the lives of young people by helping them develop essential life skills whilst engaging in enjoyable activities many with a nautical theme.

Captain Phil Russell RN, Captain Sea Cadets, said, “It is incredibly gratifying for a charity our size to see so many recognised in such numbers, clearly demonstrating the commitment and dedication of our amazing volunteers whose passion and commitment to their local communities has been unwavering during this pandemic."

"On behalf of the entire Marine Society and Sea Cadets Charity I send hearty congratulations to all seven recipients. Recognising that many more of our 9,000 volunteers and 15,000 cadets are equally dedicated to supporting their communities,  they are great exemplars of the unique Sea Cadets values and ethos which have helped make a difference to so many young lives.”

Sea Cadets are delighted to join the National Children’s Bureau and pledge our support to the #GiveUsACHANCEllor campaign, which seeks to lobby the Government to put children and young people at the heart of future government spending plans. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, is currently planning on how Government will spend their money in the next few years, so now is a vital time for everyone at Sea Cadets to air their voice and ask for Government to recognise young people as a vital strategic cause they need to invest in.  

As a charity that works in 75% of the local authorities which contain the most left behind neighbourhoods in the UK, we know how important funding is in improving young people’s lives. 

 We need to make sure that all children and young people have equal opportunities in life regardless of their circumstances, and after Covid-19 young people need more support than ever.  

By pledging support for the #GiveUsACHANCEllor campaign you stand for:  

• helping young people to find suitable jobs or apprenticeships by investing in schemes, organisations and companies that can provide these opportunities  

• improving mental health support for young people 

• investing in youth services and giving councils the money to re-open local libraries and community centres 

• better public transport across the whole of the country  

But by joining the campaign you will also help us ask the Government to: 

• Listen to the issues that we are raising in this statement 

• Prioritise spending that protects young people’s futures 

• Responding to us to tell us how this Government is making decisions with children and young people in mind 

How can you get involved?  

Sea Cadets’ CEO, Martin Coles, along with our First Sea Lord Cadets have already signed an open letter to Government on behalf of Sea Cadets as a leading national youth organisation. 

However, your voice can be heard too! We need you to sign the open letter to our chancellor and post the following on social media. Together with thousands of other young people across the UK you will be seen by the leaders of our Government.  

SIGN THE LETTER 

Post the following on your social media accounts if you have any:  

#GiveUsACHANCEllor We want Govt. money spent on mental health, help to find jobs or apprenticeships & better local youth services, libraries; community centres. If you are aged 25 and under or a parent sign our plea to Rishi Sunak to put #ChildrenAtTheHeart #SeaCadets 

Sea Cadets are proud to support the #ChildrenAtTheHeart campaign. We’re calling for the Government to put children at the forefront of the nation’s coronavirus response.

We want the Government to recognise the pandemic has brought about uncertainty and worry, which will lead to anxiety and mental health problems for young people. We know closed schools will damage the educational attainment and life chances of children – the poorest, the most. We know black, asian and minority ethnic communities will be hit the hardest. We know there is no certainty about when the crisis will end and when we can see loved ones again. We know there is more financial hardship to come.

The Budget should be the start of a rescue, recovery and rebuild plan designed to prioritise, support and enable our children to thrive. We need an ambitious, radical plan that will be transformational for the generation of children growing up in today’s modern Britain.

We have joined a group of 80 charities and bodies within the youth sector in writing an open letter to our Prime Minister, calling for a dedicated press conference for young people to answer their questions about the Coronavirus pandemic and to allow under-18s to submit questions to the daily press conference.

Young people across the UK are feeling the effects of the lockdown - mental health, education and so much more have been significantly impacted. However, young people across the country have been making a positive difference to so many communities, as well as supporting their own loved ones. This should be recognised, this should be encouraged.

After constructive initial engagement with Number 10,  #iWill campaign partners are ready to work with the Government to ensure that young people emerge from this crisis ready to continue their lives as active, positive citizens.

Join us online in promoting the campaign - share our posts and create your own (using artwork provided below) Let's get this campaign heard!

Get your artwork for social media here:

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Next Friday is VE day, celebrating when the guns fell silent across Europe marking the end of the Second World War.

We want you to celebrate it with us from home, especially as this year we mark 75 years since the day came about on 8 May 1945.There’s plenty going on across the country to celebrate the moment that the Second World War came to end.

From singalongs to baking, we’ve put together a pack for you to plan your day’s activities and join the national celebration - all from the comfort of your home. 

Download your pack here.

Make sure you share your family celebrations with us on Friday - use #SeaCadetsVEday to tag us in your posts!