CREWE AIR CADETS RAISE OVER £1000 FOR HELP FOR HEROS AT BOLESWORTH

Air Cadets and staff from 95 (Crewe) Squadron ATC spent the weekend at Bolesworth Show Jumping Classic & Country Fair event restoring jumps, conducting car parking duties and raising money for the Help for Heros charity.

The Air Cadets in Crewe have agreed to raise money for the Help for Heros charity this year and kindly volunteered to restore the jumps in the Castle Arena, conduct car parking duties and run a stall selling Help for Heros branded items at Bolesworth Show Jumping Classic and Country Fair event from Thursday 15^th – Sunday 18^th July.

A total of eighty man-days’ effort was put in by the cadets and staff to help at the annual event, and their efforts were rewarded by a donation from Bolesworth for their efforts. In addition to the duties they performed, members of the Civilian Committee and Squadron staff ran a stall raising over £900 from sales and donations from the public. The cadets, staff and civilian committee unanimously agreed to donate a portion of the funding to the Help for Heros Charity bringing the total raised to £1000.

This is the second time Crewe Air Cadets have helped out at Bolesworth and they thoroughly enjoyed it, despite them being kept busy for four long days. “The Cadets always love attending events such as Bolesworth as they not only get to experience the event first-hand but also have some input into it. Their efforts are always commended by the organisers and the general public alike, and the staff and I receive nothing but praise. Similarly to last year the NCOs (senior ranked cadets) were allowed to camp overnight giving them an opportunity to relax and become stronger as a group”, said Flt Lt Kathy Stubbs, OC 95 Sqn.

Helping out at events such as Bolesworth gives young people the opportunity to enjoy the outdoor life and meet people all whilst learning team working, leadership and philanthropic skills. The Crewe Air Cadets are an outgoing group of young people determined to experience something different, and not be restricted to wandering the streets, playing on their game consoles all day, or causing trouble in their local area. The opportunities, skills and citizenship training that the cadet forces provide, whether it be Air Cadets, Army Cadets or Sea Cadets, is second to none.

Chris Goodall, an ex-cadet from Crewe Squadron, and now a Civilian Instructor, commented that “I don’t know of any youth organisation which offers as much variety as the Air Training Corps. Flying & gliding lessons are free, camps and visits are subsidised, adventure training is key and difficult skills are tried and often mastered by the young people.”