Last week 8 of our cadets went offshore on TS Jack Patechey one of the Sea Cadets 24-metre power vesseles.
During the trip, the cadets were able to test and develop their skills onboard the ship. Allowing them to get a taste for life at sea. This was the first time a number of our cadets were able to take an offshore voyage since Covid, and they returned to the unit with rave reviews and wanting to take another trip at the next available opportunity.
Some of our staff and cadets travelled to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich yesterday and had a long day but great experience traveling on the Thames.
The Maritime museum is also the home of Greenwich Meantime.
The cadets particularly enjoyed the Ship bridge simulator.
Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Ian Dudson CBE, has presented Stoke-on-Trent Sea Cadets with the QAVS trophy and certificate. The presentation took place recently at the Unit HQ in Bucknall.
The Unit received the Award in June 2022 along with over two hundred voluntary organisations across the Country.
The Lord Lieutenant was greeted with a Guard of Honour and a parade of cadets from across all ages from the Unit. The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant David Eivers , and the Unit Chairman, Mr Darren Ely, received the trophy on behalf of the Unit. Each of the Units Volunteers was the presented with a commemorative pin and certificate.
Many friends and supporters of the Unit were in attendance. These included Deputy Lord Lieutenants, Lord Mayor of Stoke and Leader of the Council, Local MP, and Cadet Officers from the area. Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, a former Fleet Commander was in attendance as was Captain Ruth Smeeth RNR, a strong supporter of the Unit.
Volunteers at the unit are both uniformed and Civilian. They give many hours of their time to provide the cadets with a varied and enjoyable training programme. The activities enable the cadets to learn teamwork, respect, loyalty, self confidence, commitment, self-discipline, honesty and how to be best versions of themselves. The unit offers a range of different activities including sailing, rowing and kayaking. Training involves a nationally agreed syllabus with an emphasis on waterbased activities. The Unit Management Team oversees the work of the unit and helps raise funds.
The cadets are very appreciative of the time that the volunteers spend for the unit as can be gathered from these two quotes:
Cdt Dylan said "The Sea cadet staff are very committed. They've always helped me get qualifications for my future life".
Cdt Will "I've been here for 4 years and the people in the unit have slowly but surely become family. You develop a strong relationship with the staff who helped me, pushed me and inspire me to be something great in the future".
Members of the public who are interested in volunteering with the unit can email at the following address: infostokeseacadets@gmail.com.
Earlier this year, some of our cadets made individual cards containing messages of congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen, on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. These cards were sent to Her Majesty. Last night I was thrilled to read to the cadets a card and letter received from the Palace thanking the Cadets for their kind words
RESPECT: The cadets at the unveiling of the Submariners Memorial at the National Arboretum.
MEMBERS of a Stoke-on-trent uniformed youth organisation are celebrating after receiving the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
The Sea Cadets and Royal Marine Cadets have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
They were just one of 230 recipients of the award – known as the MBE for volunteer groups – across the UK.
The unit, based in the Army Reserve Centre in Bucknall, is one of 400 that are part of the Marine Society and Sea Cadets.
Each unit is a stand alone charity that is responsible for raising its own funds.
There are both uniformed and civilian volunteers who run the unit and supervise the training activities.
A Unit Management Committee of Trustees oversees the work of the unit which is known as TS Talent and has been affiliated to HMS Talent, a recently decommissioned nuclear submarine.
At Stoke-on-trent the aim is to give young people an experience that will help them grow into the person they want to be in a safe and friendly environment.
Through various activities and adventures, they learn teamwork, respect, loyalty, self confidence, commitment, self-discipline, honesty and how to be the best versions of themselves.
The unit offers a range of different activities from sailing, rowing and kayaking to rock climbing and camping.
Competitions between units also take place and recently the Stoke-on-trent unit attended the national drill and piping competition in HMS Raleigh in Plymouth.
Commanding officer Lt David Eivers, said: “Our volunteers, like those in all charities, are the key part of our team, helping us to deliver a first class experience to the young people in the organisation.
“The Queen’s Award is a wonderful tribute to many years of tireless work and commitment from so many people.”
Admiral Sir Trevor Soar KCB OBE DL said: “This exceptional unit is a lifeline to young people in the local community and the dedicated and hard-working volunteers all go that extra mile to make a real difference to the lives of these young people.”
Ashley Brough DL , Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, said the unit was an ‘exceptional example’ of what it takes to receive the prestigious award.
He added: “I was particularly impressed by the commitment of the team and the training and skills being taught that are having a wonderful and lasting impact on the young people in the area.”
He is supported by Jane Sawyers QPM DL, also a Deputy Lord Lieutenant and former Chief Constable of Staffordshire, who praised the volunteers for ‘unselfishly giving up their time.’
She added: “They give the young people of Stoke-ontrent a fantastic opportunity to develop their knowledge and gain skills that might otherwise not be available to them.”
The QAVS aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year.
Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Ian Dudson CBE, will present Stoke-on-trent Sea Cadets with the QAVS trophy and certificate later in the summer.
And two members of the unit will also be invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in the summer of 2023, along with other recipients of this year’s award.
This exceptional unit is a lifeline to young people in the local community.
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