News

Cadets from Seaham Sea Cadets gathered on Saturday 28th June 2015 for the annual Armed Forces Day Parade at Seaham Town Park. The cadets were a credit to the unit and represented us with pride. Armed Forces Day is a national event held during the last week in June each year and we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder by those who have and continue to serve.

Seaham Sea Cadets are delighted to announce our intention to change our training ship name from TS Brazen to TS Seaham, in memory of the towns namesake ship which served with distinction during WW2. In fact, the people of Seaham raised over £100,000 during the early stages of the war in order to supply the Royal Navy with a Bangor Class Minesweeper named after the town.

This ship saw much action in the Mediterranean Sea and during the D Day landings. Indeed, she is amongst a small group of ships that can boast capturing a submarine. Not bad for a little minesweeper!

Our intention is to rename our unit formally when we move into our new premises on the sea front in 2016.

After spending a week on board the Sea Cadet flagship TS Royalist, some of our cadets visited HMS Alliance in Gosport. As Britain's only surviving WW2 era ocean going submarine with lighting, noises and even smells inside the submarine, we were transported back in time. We were able to take a time journey through every decade in the submarines service from the 1940s to the 1970s. There's been no more complaining about the lack of space at the unit after this trip!

Seaham Sea Cadets have received a funding and donation boost from the local community. Seaham Town Council have pledged to donate £30,000, Seaham branch of Sainsbury’s have nominated the unit as their charity of the year, the Mayor of Seaham has donated £500 for new equipment and Seaham Marina have donated a berth for cadets to moor their boats. We are to receive a £30,000 donation from Seaham Town Council to renovate an old navy building, which will be the Unit’s new home and we aim to have moved by February 2016.  

Seaham’s Mayor, Councillor Mrs Barbara Allen, donated £500 to help purchase equipment for Sea Cadets Seaham Unit, said: “On behalf of Seaham Town Council, the councillors all agreed we would like to donate this specialist sailing equipment to the Sea Cadets. We hope you find great success with the move into Seaham Marina and navy club premises and we will provide any assistance we can.”

The Mayor is Seaham is pictured with some of our cadets wearing the specialist sailing equipment she and her colleagues kindly donated.

Paul Barber (pictured) is the Unit Management Team Chairman here at Seaham Sea Cadets and got involved because his son joined the Unit. Paul discovered the Unit were in financial difficulty and in danger of closing, so he stepped in to the breach. Despite working as a full time Geography teacher, Paul has managed to raise a staggering £105,000 in 18 months. As a consequence of Paul’s dedication, Seaham Sea Cadets are in the process of buying a new building and moving from our current dilapidated home in to a purpose built one, right on Seaham Harbour.

Paul said, “Fundraising and helping Seaham Sea Cadets move forward has become quite an obsession! As soon as I got involved in this charity, it became part of my everyday life”.

Thanks to Paul, Seaham Sea Cadets are on target to purchase and renovate their new building in February 2016. If you can help with a donation or provide materials or labour, then please do contact Paul at info@seahamseacadets.com