Woking Sea Cadets Newsletter: April 2008
Welcome to our new Newsletter designed to keep you in touch with what’s
going on at your Sea Cadet unit here in Woking.
The intention is to prepare you for the various activities and events
planned for the cadets, parents, Committee, family and friends to give you all
an opportunity to join in and enjoy this fantastic facility.
This newsletter is best suited to being sent to the Ship’s Company,
Committee, family and supporters electronically. Please ensure that we have
your correct e:mail address to receive your copy. Remember some Cadets forget
to pass on information, which means you could lose out!
Good Bye and Thank You
On behalf of Woking Sea Cadets, we wish to say a big thank-you to Sarah
Catchpole for her dedication and services to Woking Sea Cadets both as a
supportive Cadet parent and as Secretary on the Management Committee. Sarah
will continue to share her interest in the unit but has decided to stand down
from her pivotal position at the helm. Thank you Sarah.
New Staff
We'd like to welcome another new member of staff to
the unit. Denise Hack joins the Ship’s Company bringing a wealth of experience
with her from her time with Farnham Sea Cadets. We welcome her onboard and hope
that she enjoys her time with us.
Fantastic
News just in !
Mr Glyn Thompson, our new
member of staff, has joined the ship’s company with a splash! Glyn has won a
competition at his work place, BP, which has benefited Woking Sea Cadets with a
donation of £500. Lt Bray was delighted with the news and was presented with
the cheque at the BP Headquarters in Sunbury, on Monday 21 April.
More news: Johnson and
Johnson, the air freshener people from Frimley, have presented Woking Sea
Cadets with a cheque for £2000 towards the purchase of some canoes. This is
another tremendous donation, which means that there will be more activities for
cadets on the water. The canoes have been ordered and hopefully should be ready
for use this summer.
Family
Evening update
The Family Evening that
took place on the 15 March was a great success and it appears that we raised in
the region of £350. The performance by the Band was faultless and got the feet
tapping of the audience throughout the evening.
The Deputy Mayor praised
the band for their performance and commitment to the unit and commended them as
Ambassadors for Woking as well as the Sea Cadet Corps. Well done to all.
There was a welcome surprise
on the evening when Mr Ian Fraser, from the Royal Naval Association, presented
Lt Bray with a generous donation from the Naval Association recognizing the Sea
Cadets as one of their preferred charities. The evening was also attended by a
large number of veterans keen to be part of the evening. Thank you.
Special thanks go out to
those parents who generously donated gifts for the raffle and, of course, those
who attended the evening. The success of the evening was very much with your
support. Thanks also to PO Matt Roberts and Sgt Tracy Bray for their dedication
and hard work to enable the evening to go ahead with such acclaim. Donations
were also received from The Ambassadors, Woking; The Big Apple, Woking; GAME
and Zavvi.
Drill Competition
Cadets from the unit attended TS Swiftsure at Farnham on Sunday 09 March
to take part in the District Drill and Piping Competition. The standard
achieved was very high and they were able to compete on level terms with the
other more experienced units in attendance. The uniform inspection almost saw
TS Dianthus beat TS Swiftsure into second place by a mere point and again we
were held in second place behind Farnham in the drill competition itself. This
competition was the first time many of the cadets had done any drill routine,
and to achieve such a standard was a credit to themselves and their
instructors. Special thanks to PO Roberts in preparing the uniforms for an
immaculate turnout.
The drill team were: L/C Kate O’Loughlan, L/C James Rickwood, L/C Ben
Fraser, with Cadets Marianne Roberts, Aimee Fairfull, Devina Regan, Sean
Christie, Kieran Comer, Robert Hussey, Giuliano Senatore, Matthew Traylor, Jak
Roberts, Shane Lee, Aaron Gibbs. Thanks also to the parents and cadets who came
along to support the drill team.
Boating
Sunday 13 April saw the launch of the boats onto Goldsworth Lake. There
was a good response for assistance in towing the boats form the unit which made
for an easier and shorter day. Many thanks to those of you who helped and
offered help.
Increased activity on the water is planned for this year; keep a look
out for details on training and activities. If you can sail, then why not give
a hand in showing off your skills and help a cadet experience the joy of
sailing. Speak with Lt John Bray at the unit…….The Cadets need you!
St
Georges Day Parade
On Sunday 20 April, St
Peters Church in Old Woking hosted the St Georges Day celebrations organized by
the Royal Naval Association. The procession of Standards through the streets of
Old Woking, were led by the Band and cadets from Woking Sea Cadets. The
occasion was attended by Mayor of Woking, Mr Bryan Cross and MP, Mr Humphrey
Malin. A colour party of Cadets from the unit also took pride of place
escorting the national standard at the head of the procession. Music by the
band delighted those in attendance with accolades from the Mayor and MP as well
as many veterans and their families. Well done to all. Good to see the event
supported by some parents on our national day.
Achievements
Woking Sea Cadets are pleased to announce that Leading Cadets James
Rickwood and Katie O’Loughlan have achieved promotion to the rank of Cadet
Petty Officer. This is the highest rank obtainable by a cadet and the first
time in about ten years that TS Dianthus has had cadets of such rank. These
cadets show tremendous commitment to the unit and are always at the forefront
of any activity undertaken by the cadets. The occasion of their promotion was
marked by a presentation by Deputy Mayor, Councilor Peter Ankers.
Pulling at HMS Caledonia: Two courses were attended by Woking Cadets at
the Naval base in Scotland. Despite traveling difficulties, poor weather
conditions and hard work, all Cadets achieved pulling qualifications to be
proud of. Their experience will help other Cadets over the summer months and
hopefully help towards success in the forthcoming pulling competitions. Coxswain
was achieved by Cadets Sean Christie, Kieran Comer, Marianne Roberts and Jak
Roberts. Supervised Coxswain was achieved by Cadet Matthew Traylor, and
Competent Crew was achieved by Cadets Devina Regan and Aimee Fairfull.
Easter Camp; The original venue at HMS Excellent, Portsmouth, had to be
moved due to unforeseen circumstances with some plumbing systems on board HMS
Bristol. TS Swiftsure, Farnham, stepped in at the last minute to hold the camp,
saving the day and preventing a lot of disappointment.
Marine Cadet Jennifer Bray achieved first and second class grades in First
Aid. Marine Cadet Lara Kinaci achieved third class Physical Trainer and Cadet
Giuliano Senatore achieved first and second class Cooks Steward.
HMS Raleigh: The Naval Base outside Plymouth was the venue for the Sea
Cadet General Training course attended by Cadet Sean Christie just after
Easter. Not satisfied with having a great time, he returned with a ‘Heart Start’
qualification and topped the week off with the accolade of “Best Cadet”, a well
deserved and outstanding achievement.
To take advantage of the many courses available, the Cadet must select
the programme of their choice from the chart on the notice board on the main
deck. They must seek parental permission and then present their request in
writing to PO Roberts with a cheque for £55 so the course can be sourced.
Fundraising
Various activities are being planned for the coming year to raise
necessary funds to keep the unit running. Fundraising is essential to keep
subscriptions low and any ideas and donations are always welcome. Woking Sea Cadets is run as a charity for the
youth of Woking and surrounding areas. It provides wonderful opportunities at
minimal costs and needs the support of its Cadets, their families, and local
businesses.
Saturday 03 May: Family
evening of Skittles, fun and excitement suitable for all. This date has had to be postponed due to a
high proportion of cadets being away from the unit over this weekend. Apologies
for those of you who are disappointed by this announcement but a new date will
be announced soon.
The Band: Woking Sea
Cadets have a highly successful and ever improving band. They were seen at the
family evening and practice every Wednesday at the unit. They remain the main
source of fundraising for the unit and their commitment is very much
appreciated by cadets and committee members alike. The band performed before a
packed (!!!) stadium at Woking Football Club for a recent cup game, which
achieved television recognition. Future fund raising events confirmed will be
at the Woking Hospice Classic Car Show on 1st June, Ripley Fete on
19 July and Ripley Bonfire on 25 October. They will also be playing while other
cadets collect for the Sea Cadet Flag Day in Woking Town Centre on 28 June.
28 June: Woking Flag Day. This
is a very important day for Woking Sea Cadets and needs the support of cadets, parents
and committee to muster in Woking Town Centre to help shake a tin to raise
funds for the unit. It is intended that the band will be permitted to play
during the day to attract donations. Your services will not be required all day
but they will be required. A rota will be prepared nearer the time so we
can benefit from collectors throughout the day.
The Great River Race!! Watch this space….
Fundraising conjures up many visions. It is a necessary requirement and
one that needs to be focused around taking part but more importantly to be fun
and entertaining. You will have some ideas so don’t keep them to yourselves.
Let us know and we can try to make your idea a reality. Any ideas drop us a
line at the unit or on the e:mail address below.
The success of Woking
Sea Cadets very much depends on the support it receives form Cadets, Parents,
Family and Committee members. Events organized
are intended for the entire unit not just those taking part. Other events are planned for the coming year.
Be part of it, support Woking Sea Cadets.
Summer Camp
27 July to 01 August: The cadets
have a fantastic opportunity to visit HMS Inskip, a shore-based establishment
near Preston, Lancs. The summer camp is packed with a fantastic itinerary of
activities not available outside the Sea Cadet Corps; Sea Survival School,
Flying, Rock Climbing, Fire Fighting, Fell Walking and Archery are some of the
wonderful activities planned during their visit. The adventure will cost £80,
and the unit wants to take as many cadets as possible. Names to be entered on
the notice board at the unit for those who wish to attend. Further details can be found on posters at
the unit or ask one of the staff. There will be an opportunity for some parents
to attend, if you feel brave enough and want the challenge, please speak with
Lt John Bray.
Summer Camp is nearly upon us. To help spread the cost and to confirm
numbers, an initial payment will be required of £40 by the end of May with the
balance of £40 to be paid by the end of June. Cheques made payable to Woking
Sea Cadets please.
Woking Sea Cadets, TS Dianthus. Westfield
Avenue, Woking, Surrey. GU22
9PG
Commanding Officer; Lt John Bray RNR.
Tel: 01483 768323
Registered Charity: 30514
Forthcoming events
04 May: Junior, Air Rifle,
Shooting Competition, Farnham Cadet Unit.
03/04 May: Woking Sea
Cadet Band to the opening of Winchester Sea Cadet Unit.
01 June; Woking Hospice Classic
Car Show, performance by the Sea Cadet Band.
08 June: District Pulling
Regatta, Hawley Lake, Fleet.
15 June; District canoeing
competition.
22 June: Area Band Competition.
28 June: Woking Sea Cadet Flag
Day, All cadets to meet in Woking Town Centre for collections around Woking.
Sea Cadet Band may be playing to help boost funds. (subject to WBC approval)
05 July; Woking Sea Cadet Band supports
the Gala of Sir Tom Blackburn, Hampshire.
05 July; Goldsworth Park Flag
Day, all cadets to meet outside Waitrose in Goldsworth Park for collections. Rota
will be organized for the day.
06 July; Area Pulling
competition, subject to qualification.
13 July; Area canoeing
competition, Reading.
19 July; Ripley Fete,
performance by the Sea Cadet Band.
