The Thames Valley Wing Marching Team have started their training with an aim of being selected for the world famous Nijmegen Marches held in Holland each July. The team have a lot to live up to as they are past multiple winners of the prestigious Jon Ford Trophy for being the best Air Cadet team in the marches as well as having a reputation for marching at a strong pace, beating many regular service teams along the way! Continue reading
Bracknell Air Cadets believe they have found a secret airfield that was used during World War Two.
The Squadron Airfield Archaeology project lead by Civilian Instructor Stephen Clark has uncovered new evidence which suggests that an area of woodland in Ascot was once a runway used for a covert operation and that their was even once an “RAF Ascot”. Continue reading
The Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, Mrs Mary Bayliss JP has presented awards to over 30 Thames Valley volunteer staff and cadets at a glittering ceremony held at Edward Brooks Barracks near Abingdon.
The Lord Lieutenant presented commendations from both Commandant Air Cadets and the South West Regional Commandant in addition to Cadet Forces Medals and clasps. Continue reading
211 (Newbury) Squadron has beaten off stiff competition from the Bicester, Chipping Norton and Bracknell Squadrons to win the Marshall Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most successful squadron in the Thames Valley.
The trophy was awarded by the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, Mrs Mary Bayliss JP, to Flying Officer Alex Pye at the annual Thames Valley Wing awards ceremony held at Edwards Brooks Barracks. Continue reading
The Thames Valley Wing Media Team has been recognised for their hard work throughout 2010 with the presentation of the Media and Communications Award (MACA) for “Best Wing Media Team” which was presented by Commandant Air Cadets at a glittering ceremony held at RAF Cranwell this weekend. Their citation read:-
“Lead by Sqn Ldr Mark Trevena (MCO) and Flt Lt Rob Westerberg (DMCO) the team consists of photographers (Flt Lt Grant Rogers, Flt Lt Julian Rose and CI Neil Parramore), media specialists (Flt Lt Julie Alexander) and an active web team (Sqn Ldr Nick Foy and CI Mark Gray). Continue reading
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire was the venue for one of the premier courses to be held in Thames Valley Wing as a group of cadets, drawn from across the Wing and identified by their Commanding Officers as having the potential for promotion to the rank of Cadet Corporal, were schooled in the basic skills required to perform this task.
The 22 candidates, guided by 4 extremely experienced members of Air Cadet staff and a senior staff cadet were put through their paces in a mixture of classroom instruction and practical exercises covering subjects such as drill and leadership. Every member of the course was given the opportunity to lead and all were closely observed from the time they arrived to the time they departed. Continue reading
As part of the celebrations to recognise 150 years that the Cadet Forces being established, 60 Cadets and 10 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, selected from the Combined Cadet Force, Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps, were offered the opportunity of a lifetime.
In July 2010 the party set off for the three week expedition to the rugged and isolated Kingdom of Lesotho where they assisted in community projects in this impoverished yet spectacular Country in addition to undertaking a number of challenging expeditions including traversing the unspoiled Drakensburg Mountains and visiting some of the remote hillside villages and open canoeing around the stunning Katse Dam. Continue reading
Newbury Air Cadets supported the recent March for Honour when it passed though their local area during the national, 200 mile marathon aiming to help raise £1 Million for the Royal British Legion.
Traffic ground to halt as the route was lined by hundreds of school children and members of the public wanting to show their support to the teams from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force. The Newbury Air Cadets accompanied the teams into Newbury before helping next day at the high profile launch which saw the marchers cheered on their way by well wishers at the Newbury Royal British Legion. Continue reading
Current Thames Valley Wing staff and a number of senior cadets have attended a one day training course in order to update them on the very latest Corps policies and guidelines.
Held at the Wing Headquarters building in Abingdon, the BASIC course aimed to ensure that newly appointed staff and a number of existing personnel who were approaching their extension of service date were brought up to date on matters such as duty of care, the legal responsibilities of staff and updates on the current and future organisation of both the RAF and the ATC. Continue reading
Earley Sqn raised £120 during a fun evening in support of Children in Need. Organised by a group of cadets, the evening included a rank auction with members of staff and cadet NCOs surrendering their ranks to the highest bidder for the evening. The uniformed staff, Flt Lt Alexander and FS (ATC) Miller, were reduced to the rank of cadet for the evening and enjoyed joining the rest of the cadets for a bout of drill and final parade at the end of the evening. Continue reading