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Sea Cadets have been highlighted for their work in local communities across the country with at least two more volunteers being celebrated. Their efforts during the Coronavirus pandemic made a difference to cadets and volunteers during a time of need for many.

After eight volunteers and two cadets received recognition in the Birthday Honours list this autumn, two more volunteers are to receive MBEs in the New Year Honours:

Carol Tiley MBE, Forest of Dean.
Carol Tiley has seen the effect being a cadet has on young people after her two boys joined Sea Cadets. Now, after 15 years of service supporting Sea Cadets and other charities across the South West, she is to be honoured by Her Majesty The Queen.

“It was a big surprise I must admit,” she said. “I was bit misty-eyed butmy boys were thrilled - it was an interesting Zoom call when they found out. ”

Carol now supports volunteers on the ground from Birmingham to Land’s End in her role as South West Area Chair, which she took up in 2012. In addition, she has stepped in as acting chair to four units across Gloucestershire and South Wales on a temporary basis.

She and her husband John used to run a successful signage company but with a background in financial services, she has acted as Treasurer for a number of local groups, including Cinderford & District Swimming Club and Forest of Dean Contact-A-Family.

“I’ve seen the very positive effect Sea Cadets can have on young people and while it’s made a difference to my own sons’ lives, it’s made even more of a difference to others. I’ve seen lives turned around and confidence given to those who when they become Sea Cadets, couldn’t lift their eyes off the floor.”

“It’s helped keep them out of trouble and later helped them get jobs they wouldn’t have dreamed of before.”

Lt Cdr (SCC) David Collins MBE RNR, Merseyside West.
David Collins, from Bromborough, Wirral, is to receive an MBE for his Sea Cadets work across Merseyside which has seen him change lives for the better.

A trained naval architect, he and his wife Maureen celebrated their golden anniversary this year. They have three daughters, Maria, Therasa, Jeanette and between them, have eight grandchildren.

“I was just astounded,” he said. “I’d already received the Sea Cadet Medal and was quite content to continue what I doing. There are many people who were also deserving of recognition.”

“I’m a facilitator. I couldn’t have achieved all I have  without the support of people of like mind. My job is to encourage fellow volunteers to join in with the tasks and its with their help and leaderships that it all works.”

Having become a Sea Cadet in his native Newcastle, he’s remained committed to the passion for sailing and to the ethos of Sea Cadets. “I enjoy working with youngsters, especially in the offshore sailing environment. There is no greater satisfaction in building a group of novices into a working crew who do not want to leave the boat at the end of the week,” he said.

“Some young people might be challenging when they start, but when they join Sea Cadets they become self-confident. When years later you see a young man proudly approach with his wife and family with a broad smile and the greeting “Hello, sir” - that’s an amazing thrill. His pride, respect and interaction with his family make you understand the value of Sea Cadets.”

Among David’s achievements has been to work with others to simplify Sea Cadets’ national training system, as part of his work on the Sea Cadets National Advisory Council.

“It is important to have good training that is attractive to cadets. One difficulty, at the time, had been that young people were being encouraged to undertake leadership roles before they had the maturity to accept them. But by nurturing their talents, we build their confidence and they motivate themselves.”

Captain Phil Russell RN, Captain Sea Cadets, said “Carol and David exemplify the dedication and commitment of our Sea Cadets volunteers and I’m delighted they are to receive their MBEs. For many years, they have been devoted to supporting Sea Cadets in helping to change lives.”

“They’re representative of 9,000 volunteers and 15,000 cadets, all of whom are dedicated to supporting their communities. They all represent the unique Sea Cadets values and ethos which have helped make a difference to so many young lives.”

Calling all cadets and volunteers for your festive winter schedule this December and New Year.

Maybe you are thinking of ways to give back to your community? We’ve put together safe ideas to help your community this winter.

Get your favourite dish the Sea Cadets Recipe book.

Enter the Sea Cadets recipe book challenge. Closing 9th of Jan! Your recipe could feature in the first ever Sea Cadets recipe book used on expeditions or at home for us to enjoy! More info here: Challenges for Cadets!

Virtual Christmas Carols and Band services

Host a virtual Christmas Carol and Band service with your unit or family. Bring your instruments to the zoom and play together like an online orchestra.  

Make your own Christmas cards or pick up the Sea Cadets Christmas pack

Make your own SC Christmas cards to send to your unit, friends, family, or directly support Sea Cadets by picking up a pack from the shop: SCC Christmas Shop

Tag us in the fun @SeaCadetsUK 

Give to the community this winter.

Community help

Make a donation box for a registered charity to hand out near you. (You could fill it with gloves, scarfs, food, gifts etc)

Online volunteering

You could be a pen pal or phone pal for an older isolated person. Look into local charities near you to help out.

We may all be at a bit of a distance, but we hope these ideas can help bring us all closer together.

Extra ordinary 15 year old Sea Cadet addresses United Nations on Covid impact on young people.

Royal Marine Cadet Monty from Lancashire has had the honour of being invited to address the United Nations, focussing on his research into technology and how it affects the sleep patterns of young people.

Royal Marines Cadet Monty has written a 55,000 word thesis at the age of 14, which has helped a number of schools in the Greater Manchester area as well as NHS professionals, develop advice on how to get a good night’s sleep in the age of Zoom.

This thesis, which was presented earlier this year to academics at the University of Manchester, is distilled into a 6 ½ minute presentation before the UN conference on public health, via Zoom to Geneva on Wednesday.

He has also conducted research into the effects of isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic on children, young people and their families, with the results now being used by the NHS. This led to his being awarded the British Citizen Youth Award (BCyA).

Monty's Cadet life has seen him take part in the Sea Cadets' Everest Challenge where cadets compete to climb a dizzying 8848m of elevation, equivalent to the height of Mount Everest. Monty is one of 80 cadets taking part with over £6,000 raised so far.

“Being a Royal Marines cadet isn’t just learning about the Royal Navy and going tactical in the field, it’s more about equipping you with important life skills to go out into the world and achieve anything," said Monty.

As well as being a Royal Marines Cadet, he has also found time to set two Guinness World Records for world memory challenges. Monty has also set up the “Young Active Minds” registered charity to share memory techniques with children, irrespective of their financial background or academic attainment.

Captain Phil Russell RN, Captain Sea Cadets, said, “Royal Marines Cadet Monty’s achievements deserve huge credit and it is a sign of his development as a young man that his research is being taken on board by the world’s leading authorities.”

“He is a great example of everything good about Sea Cadets.”

Commanding Officer Major Samantha Davis RMR at TS Galloway Sea Cadets said regarding Monty's BCyA award: "We're very proud to have Monty as a Royal Marines cadet at TS Galloway and for his achievement with the BCyA.”

"All our cadets are taught the fundamentals of leadership and team-working. Our cadets are actively encouraged to engage with their local communities."

Sea Cadets are disappointed to hear today that the campaign we, alongside other youth groups, supported to release £500 million from the Youth Investment Fund was not in the national spending review. While there was a welcome announcement earlier in the day of £16.5 million being released from the fund, we know, at least £500 million, is needed to help the youth sector respond to the needs of young people in this difficult time.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the wider Back Youth Alliance campaign with us.

You can still help by writing a message to your MP, or re-sharing this blog post to raise awareness for youth group funding.  This is also a great time for local youth groups and units to reach out either to their MP or their local council. One of the really key highlights of the spending review was about giving local communities, more say in how they respond to their local problems, and how to make the biggest difference to people’s lives. Now is a fantastic time for groups who are already respected in their communities to make the case for what a great experience Sea Cadets can be for young people.

Looking forward, Sea Cadets are calling for local youth groups to be recognised as a key part of the essential work that is going to be needed over the next few years to help the nation recover from the pandemic.

The spending review recognised the importance of providing more funding to schools and colleges to help young people get the skills they need. However, we think this ignores the very important role of uniformed youth groups like Sea Cadets. We provide training and a path to further education for young people with skills that you just can’t get in a school.

Sea Cadets exists in 400 communities across the UK. Young people most impacted by this will be from disadvantaged backgrounds, where Sea Cadets works to unlock these young people’s potential with access to the knowledge skills and qualifications they need to progress in life.

The Chancellor said we need to work to create communities that are healthier and happier, that show courage wisdom and kindness. Sea Cadets couldn’t agree more, but when looking at how to empower communities and families to achieve this, it is our 9,000 volunteers, who work on the ground to change the lives of young people. To achieve this vision it’s essential that youth work is properly recognised and supported during this pandemic, and we feel this has been sadly forgotten.

The next few months are going to be really challenging for young people, and without releasing new funds we know youth groups will have to spend their time focussing on keeping the lights on when they could and should be doing more work on the ground. At Sea Cadets we will continue to work with the Back Youth Alliance to make sure young people get the support they need during the pandemic, and in the years following it to repair the scars it leaves behind.

We invite you to join Sea Cadets in backing the Back Youth Alliance and write a letter to your MP to appeal for the essential funds that young people need right now.

Check out cadet Oliver from Burton Sea Cadets who has climbed 4163m (half way!) in the virtual Everest challenge so far.

"Hi, I’m Oliver from Burton Sea Cadets. I joined this challenge as I was looking for something to do during lockdown to keep active and thought this is a great way to raise money for the unit and Sea Cadets. I love climbing and one day I hope to climb Mount Everest itself.” 

We have no doubt one day Oliver's Everest ambitions will become reality one day with how well he's taken on the challenge so far! 

You can still join team Sea Cadets and start the Everest challenge. You’ll have 3 months from signing up to reach the peak. Sign up at: https://www.sea-cadets.org/get-started/everest

Oliver has raised £180 so far, support his journey to the summit on JustGiving here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lindsay-flint