Wideopen Air Cadets get the Royal Seal of Approval
Wideopen Air Cadets get the Royal Seal of Approval
The Lord Lieutenant for Tyne and Wear, Mr Nigel Sherlock OBE, has given Wideopen Air Cadets the Royal Seal of approval by officially opening their new Headquarters building on 25th June 2011.
Click here to view the photo gallery for the Grand Opening!
The £350,000 new building was completed in March 2011 and is now fully operational as the Squadrons new home in Wideopen. The building features a large office space for the Adult Staff to work in, a small kitchen, a clothing and equipment store, large parade hall and four teaching classrooms. The new HQ is fully networked and boasts a computer suite and sufficient ICT to deliver the demanding new syllabus of training that all Air Cadets are required to complete.
On the day of the opening, the Lord Lieutenant reviewed a full Squadron Parade with the band of 346 (Tynemouth) Squadron providing music for the march-past. The Lord Lieutenant then joined the cadets, parents and honoured guests for tea and cake before inspecting the new HQ building and performing the Opening Ceremony.
The new building was fully equipped with brand new furniture and other equipment such as vacuum cleaners from the Squadrons Parent Station, RAF Boulmer. Representing RAF Boulmer at the opening, Wing Commander Alan Clark RAF, Officer Commanding Support Wing, said “I was absolutely thrilled to represent RAF Boulmer at 861 Squadrons Grand Opening . The Air Cadet Organisation provides exceptional support and opportunities for our Nation’s young people, offering a fantastic array of activities for cadets and opening so many doors in future Service or civilian life. This new building and our direct support to the local Air Training Corps squadrons shows how close the relationship is between the Royal Air Force and the Air Training Corps, and demonstrates how much the Station values them”.
After the building was officially opened, three cadets of the Squadron gave a short presentation to the Lord Lieutenant, Wing Commander Clark and the assembled guests to tell them all about what they had been up to in their cadet careers. One of the cadets delivering the presentation, Cadet Carl Soulsby, 13 of Darras Hall, said “It was quite scary giving a presentation to so many people but I had a lot to talk about as I have done so much since joining the Squadron a few months ago!”.
The day ended with a speech by the Lord Lieutenant and Wing Commander Clark to the cadets and assembled guests. A strong theme throughout both speeches was how important the Cadet Forces are as part of the big society. Pilot Officer Adam Watson RAFVR(T) of 861 (Wideopen) Squadron commented that “It was brilliant to hear such encouraging words from Her Majesties representative to Tyne and Wear and from Wing Commander Clark. With this new building and our brilliant Adult Staff Team, I am absolutely certain we are going to succeed in the long term and keep delivering worthwhile qualifications and experience to our cadets”.
Officer Commanding 861 (Wideopen) Squadron, Flight Lieutenant James Elliott said: “I am incredibly proud of the hard work that all of our cadets and Adult Staff have put in to make this day a success. The new Headquarters will provide fantastic new home for our cadets to learn and practice the skills that we teach them for decades to come. We have some really ambitious goals for the future and having a quality Headquarters to work in will help us to achieve them!”
He added “The visit by the Lord Lieutenant for Tyne and Wear and Wing Commander Clark has given tremendous encouragement to everyone involved with the Squadron and their visit is one that will not be forgotten for many years to come.”
The Air Cadets is open to all young people aged 13-17 years. There are 35 Squadrons in Durham/Northumberland Wing and the chances are there is a unit near you! Why not visit www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets to find out what Air Cadets are getting up to where you live, find out where your nearest Squadron is and join the premier youth organisation in the UK? 861 (Wideopen) Squadron is recruiting now – we are located behind Woodlands Hall in Wideopen and meet every Monday and Thursday, 7-9.30pm.
