News

On Thursday 2nd May, our parade night became a fun night to allow the outgoing Chairperson (Nic) and Secretary (Mary) to spend time with Cadets and Parents to give them a chance to say Thank you and Goodbye.

Both Mary and myself enjoyed ourselves immensely, dancing and laughing the night away, with a few tears thrown in for good measure!

A huge thank you to all of Sandwell Sea Cadets, past and present, we have made some amazing memories and some very dear friends over the years and we will miss you all dearly.

What does the future hold for Mary and Nic? - Mary is leaving the Sea Cadet Corps to spend more time with her family and take a well deserved relaxing holiday or two.  Nic, on the other hand, has been persuaded to move to district to help with the admin for the competitions.  

Traning Ship Albion it has been an honour to serve you.

Nic & Mary 

xx

(The photos that follow are just a snippet from the night, all the photos taken are available to view on our fb page https://www.facebook.com/Sea-Cadets-Sandwell)

Outgoing Chair and Commanding Officer

Having fun...

A keepsake for the leavers

From one Chairperson to another! Former Chairperson Mr John Brown and Outgoing Chairperson Mrs Nic Harvey

And the wheel turns again - Outgoing Chairperson to incoming Chairperson - the lovely Mrs Michelle Crump

The last dance...

Much needed family support...

THANK YOU

Monday 7th January 2019 saw us return to Cadet parade nights after the Christmas and New Year break.  On our last parade night of 2018 all cadets were presented with a sewing kit, these were kindly donated by Korbond group.

What better way to spend the first night back than checking out our new kits and having a little go at sewing our badges!  A few more lessons may be needed but Cadets seemed to enjoy themselves.  Well done to all Cadets for having a go.

A huge thank you to Korbond for their kind donation, the kits are very much appreciated and will be put to good use.

Who is our Officer in Charge (OiC) of Juniors?  Meet Civilian Instructor (CI) Rebecca Jackson.

"I was introduced to Sea Cadets by my nearly 10yr old son who was desperate to join Sea Cadets, he did so at the beginning of Nov 2017. By Christmas I'd joined the UMT offering my PR & Marketing skills gained whilst working for large corporate organisations. I was asked, I mean I volunteered, to attend the Unit Boating Weekend in Port Talbot as Catering Manager! Whilst away I was asked how I felt about wearing Navy Blue - it seems I'd agreed to transfer to being a Uniformed member of staff. 

I am currently a CI coaching our Junior Juniors through their modules and introducing them to the world of Sea Cadets. 

Outside Sea Cadets I run a cleaning business, a jewellery & handicrafts business and work in a local cafe. I love crocheting, making candles, jewellery and all manner of craftiness. 

My two boys (and my husband) keep me busy, especially during our biannual trips to Portsmouth - nearly every day spent at the Historic Dockyard! 

I love nothing more than walking along a beach, perhaps more so in the winter with waves crashing onto the shore hunting for flotsam and jetsam to add to my crafty collection."

What does an OiC Juniors role involve?

As the name suggests, an OiC is the Officer in Charge, CI Jackson is the OiC of our Junior division, she is responsible for the Junior Cadet training program and making sure all modules are completed and signed off for each Junior Sea Cadet.  

CI Jackson has brought her love of crafts into the Junior training program, making the lessons much more exciting and enjoyable for all concerned and we can't wait to see her become a full Petty Officer in the very near future.

If you are interested in becoming a member of staff at Sandwell, please contact our Commanding Officer, Sub Lt (SCC) Dave Burley (RNR) at daveburley45@hotmail.co.uk for further information.

Saturday 22nd September we held our Open Day, this was to Fundraise and recruit for the unit but also to celebrate 50 years of Training Ship Albion.  Although the rain didn't really let up all day, it didn't dampen our spirits with us all making the most of the fun to be had.

The bacon butties, hot dogs and burgers kept everyone going throughout the day, with the hot drinks keeping us warm. Stalls included hook-a-duck, lucky dip, spin the wheel, tombola, bric-a-brac, homemade cakes, sweets and more. Our recruitment stand was kept busy with enquiries, raffle tickets and name the teddy. One of our Cadets was face painting everyone in sight and then there were the stocks!

Our Cadets marched around the buildings as well as taking part in colours, we also named our 3 RS Quest sailing boats.  The total amount raised is not yet known as we still have money coming in. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated, volunteered and came to support us on the day.

If anyone would like more information about joining our team please contact our Chairperson, Nic Harvey, at chair.sandwell@outlook.com or our Commanding Officer, Sub Lt (SCC) Dave Burley (RNR), at daveburley45@hotmail.co.uk

NAMING THE BOATS

Earlier in the year we held a competition for all Cadets, Staff, UMT and their families to put names forward for our RS Quests and these were the results.  Our first Quest was purchased with the funds from a cash legacy, left to us by the late Mr R Hingley, we can't thank Mr Hingley enough for thinking of us in his will.  Mr Hingleys name is also on our sailing boat. 

Warrior - named by our own CI R. Jackson

VICTORY - named by Mr K Latham 

SEAHORSE - named by Cadet 1st Class Della-Mai 

NAME THE TEDDY

Meet Burley Bear! the name was chosen at random and won by Junior Cadet Pearl.  We hope you like the name CO!

THE STOCKS

Two of our staff members, PO STanford and CI Jackson, and our Chaiperson Nic, all had a turn in the stocks to raise money for the unit.  Well done all of you that water was very cold.

FACE PAINTING

Thank you to our own Cadet Libby for supplying the materials and painting everyone in sight.

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TRAINING SHIP ALBION

Here's to many more!

Let us introduce you to our Unit Training Officer (UTO) Chief Petty Officer Aaron Killworth (SCC)

"I started at Sandwell Unit when we were based at the Harry Mitchell Centre in the late 90’s as a Royal Marines Cadet, but transferred over to the Matelot side in the 00’s. Upon reaching the age of 18 I decided to stay within the Corps and become a Cadet Forces Adult Volunteer I have held various roles within the Sea cadets such as OiC Juniors, Training Officer, Executive Officer and Officer in Charge of a Unit. I am passionate about the Corps Values and promoting life skills to our young persons within our organisation, to help them achieve their aspirations in life."

What does a UTO do?

A UTO is in charge of the Cadet Training Programme (CTP) putting the plan in place for each section of cadet ranks (New Entries, Cadet, Cadet 1st Class, Ordinary Cadte, Able Cadet, Leading Cadet, Petty Officer Cadet) taking into consideration all the modules they have to learn before advancement and competitions coming up.  UTO's need to be aware of any courses coming up which may be relevant to the cadet advancements, informing the cadets about the course and making sure they are booked on where necessary.

Aaron is a man of many talents with a very creative side, he is especially particular on uniform standards and likes to make sure both Staff (including our own CO!) and Cadets wear their uniforms to the high standard expected from the Sea Cadet Corps.  

We are very lucky to have him as part of our team at Sandwell and look forward to continuing working with him.