News

Sea Cadets London Eastern District (Cadets and Staff from Essex) made history as the first group of Sea Cadets to have an official visit on board the Districts affiliated Ship HMS Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday the 11th of July,

The day started with a visit and lunch to HMS Excellence with a briefing of what was about to happen. As the cadets and staff proceeded on board HMS Queen Elizabeth, they

were met by the Liason Officer on board and other staff who acted as escorts.

The Visit was kick-started with a briefing shortly followed by a presentation of a Picture of the ship to the District Officer LtCdr(SCC) Seb Rowland RNR. The District Crest was then presented to the AOO by the Lord Lieutenants Cadets of Essex AC Beth from Walton on the Naze unit.

Following that the cadets and staff had a tour of the Hangar, followed by a tour on board which included firefighting, operations room, medical centre, and the flight deck where pictures were taken

The cadets commented that they had a great day with most saying that it has been one their favourite days as a cadet.  The ships staff were very complimentary of our cadets and are very much looking forward to them coming back on board.

Thanks to the DO , district team and the liaison staff on board HMS Queen Elizabeth for making the visit happen.

Here at Sea Cadets we’ve been celebrating Pride Month and showing our support for the LGBT community. There are many LGBT cadets and volunteers in the Sea Cadet family, and we want to share their stories and show that whoever you are, you are welcome. That’s why, for the first time ever, we’ve got a Pride feature in our upcoming Sea Cadet Magazine, and we’ve produced a Guide to Pride to help our units get on board.

We embrace diversity and encourage our cadets to be themselves, and we believe that all people should be able to do the same. So we’ve raised our flag, and we hope you will do the same,

Three Sea Cadets attended a distinguished ceremony at the House of Lords as finalists for the annual CVQO Westminster Award.

Larissa, from Chelmsford, Katie from Warsash and Sam from Weymouth all received their ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management from Lord Lingfield at the event.

Sam was also presented with the Pearson BTEC Achievement Award for the best BTEC Level 2 submission.

The cadets were joined by families, friends and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, as well as distinguished representatives from the military, government and world of education.

Captain Sea Cadets Captain Phil Russell, who also attended the event, said: “It’s wonderful to see so many young people embracing the opportunities that Sea Cadets can offer. Sam, Larissa and Katie are great examples of what you can achieve with a good attitude, some hard work and dedication.”

They were joined by families, friends and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, as well as distinguished representatives from the military, government and world of education – all gathered to celebrate their achievements.

The three Sea Cadets will join eight other finalists from other cadet organisations for an expedition to South Africa in July.

This week Sea Cadets are celebrating 162 years of empowering young people to be the best versions of themselves through a mixture of adventure, learning and friendship.

To coincide with the occasion, we are launching our ‘draw your own future’ campaign, which aims to promote the role Sea Cadets can have in preparing young people for life, helping them to succeed in whatever future they envisage for themselves.

The world can be a complex and overwhelming place for a young person in today’s society, and working out their place in it can be daunting. We equip our cadets with the tools they need to embrace this challenge and become active and well-rounded members of the community.

Find out more about our 'Draw Your Own Future' campaign here.

Susan Catterall MBE, Lt (SCC) Andre Bonjour MBE and Jenn Harrison BEM have all been recognised for their selfless hard work and dedication as committed Sea Cadet volunteers in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Susan, 67, is one of our longest serving volunteers and has devoted 40 years to the Sea Cadets. As Lieutenant (SCC) she commanded Orpington Sea Cadets for 17 years, overseeing their transformation into one of the leading groups in the London region. Since stepping she has remained an active supporter of Orpington Sea Cadets as a Unit Management Committee (UMC) member and trustee.

Lt (SCC) Andre Bonjour, Commanding Officer for Jersey Sea Cadets, was also recognised for his service to the charity which spans many years and has included many highlights, including leading his marine cadets to Gibraltar Cup success this year.

Jenn, 45, is a passionate volunteer and local charity champion and has been Chair of Birmingham Vernon Sea Cadets since 2014. A prolific fundraiser, Jenn has raised £60,000 of funding for Birmingham Vernon, secured £30,000 from the Armed Forces Community Covenant for essential refurbishment work at Sandwell and helped Walsall to raise £10,000 to replace their heating system.