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Teenagers from across the country came together at SCTC Weymouth for the annual Cadet Conference.

The event was held at the weekend (3-5 November), with 48 cadets taking part in a series of workshops and other activities.

The conference, which is now held annually, was introduced because cadets said they wanted to have a stronger voice when it came to the charity. Their contributions will be fed back at area conferences attended by volunteers, meaning the young people can shape the future of Sea Cadets as it moves forward.

A series of workshops were led by the charity’s six First Sea Lord cadets. They asked their fellow cadets questions on certain topics and encouraged debate, before feeding back to cadets, volunteers and employees later that day.

Later, working in teams in a Dragons’ Den-style session, cadets pitched new ideas for the charity to a panel from Sea Cadets’ London headquarters. This included ways to interact in the digital age – for example, the ways in which they would like to communicate with the charity, and what they would like to hear more or less about. They were asked to what extent Sea Cadets should embrace the digital age, and whether cadets should be allowed digital devices, such as mobile phones, at their respective units.

Young people also dressed up for dinner and enjoyed a quiz and other games.

Sea Cadets is once again running the National Citizen Service (NCS) project - and cadets have made a great start.

Young people aged 15-17 in five areas - London, Southern, South West, Eastern and North West - are taking part in the scheme, which encourages young people to develop a wide skillset through three phases.

The first two phases have now taken place, with the third - a social action project - to be completed before Christmas.

In phase one, cadets enjoyed various activities at SCTC Raleigh, including tobogganing, skiing, snowboarding and sledding. They also faced their fears on climbing walls and took on a huge waterborne assault course.

Cadets then returned to their respective areas, where they started phase two of the project. This included learning employability skills, as well as a session where the teens researched and pitched to link up with community projects. 

Leading Cadet Jordan from Stockport Unit put the first-aid skills he learnt at Sea Cadets to good use by helping out at the scene of a car crash.

The 17-year-old was walking home from work on Friday when the collision happened. After establishing the driver of one of the vehicles had no spinal or back injuries, he helped her out of the car and treated her for shock and a head injury. A 95-year-old woman in one of the other cars was also helped out of her vehicle and treated for shock.

Jordan also spoke to the ambulance service on the phone, answering their questions. He was able to keep the two women calm until paramedics arrived, at which point he was described by one as “today’s hero”.

“I was the only one there who knew what to do, no one else knew how to act,” he said. “It was thanks to Sea Cadets that I was able to help. I have qualifications from my time there, and I was able to keep calm and act when it mattered.

“Everyone I have told has commented on what I did, and my mum was so proud when I told her. But I just did what anyone would, really, although I didn’t realise until a few hours afterwards the scale of it.”

Hundreds of young people came together to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar today (Sunday 22 October), at Sea Cadets’ national Trafalgar Day parade.

Four-hundred sea cadets from across the country marched from Horse Guards Parade to Trafalgar Square, where there was a performance by the Massed Bands of the Sea Cadet Corps. There were also flag displays and a physical training performance from cadets, wreath-laying, a parade inspection and a service.

Sea Cadets marks the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar with a parade on Trafalgar Square on the Sunday closest to 21 October every year, in a tradition going back more than 100 years. On that date in 1805, Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the French and Spanish fleets of Cape Trafalgar in South West Spain, losing his life at the height of his most famous victory.

The Captain Sea Cadets, Captain Phil Russell RN, said: “This show-stopping parade is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and passion our cadets and volunteers have invested throughout the year, and we are really proud of them. The day went really well, and you can tell from the smiles on people’s faces that everyone enjoyed themselves.”

Sea Cadets will take part in a spectacular show of formal parading in Central London to mark Trafalgar Day this weekend.

Four-hundred cadets from across the country will take part in the event on Sunday, alongside Sea Cadets volunteers.

Trafalgar Day is a chance to showcase skills and talents to spectators and tourists, as well as high-profile guests. For more than 100 years, Sea Cadets units up and down the country have marked the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar with parades, usually on the Sunday closest to 21 October. On that date in 1805, Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson defeated the French and Spanish fleets of Cape Trafalgar in South West Spain, losing his life at the height of his most famous victory.

You can follow the event on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and those who are at the event can also use our geofilter on Snapchat.