Two members of Longbenton Squadron have visited Buckingham Palace to attend a Royal Garden Party hosted by Her Majesty the Queen. Cadet Flight Sergeant Karl Dance, 18 of Killingworth, and Pilot Officer Andy Stafford-Brown, 43 of Monkseaton, are both members of 2344 (Longbenton) Squadron and they attended the Palace to mark 150 years of the cadet organisations (Cadet150).  

 

 

The volunteers travelled down to London and took part in a parade down the Mall to Buckingham Palace with HRH the Prince of Wales taking the salute, before enjoying a Royal buffet with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, who is the Air Commodore in Chief of the Air Cadets, and other members of the Royal Family.

 

Karl, who was recently appointed as the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for Tyne and Wear said, “It was an amazing day and one that I will never forget. I was really pleased to be selected to attend and felt very proud to be marching down the Mall – it’s not every day you get to march to the Palace for tea with the Queen and be on parade as the Red Arrows do a fly past.”                               

 

Andy added, “The day was a great experience and it was pleasing to see so many people out supporting us and what we do.”

 

 

The Squadron Band from Longbenton also provided musical support to Cadet150. The Longbenton cadets commenced the summer celebrations earlier this summer at Grey’s Monument in Newcastle City Centre, where shoppers were treated to a special performance – Local Hero going down particularly well! The band also produced fine performances at the Metro Centre in Gateshead when the Cadet150 road show visited last weekend.  

 

Today’s Cadet Organisations are quite different from 150 years ago. The cadet movement first started, when the Cadet Corps was formed to help bolster the country’s defence numbers following heavy losses in the Crimean War. The young cadets from the Longbenton community during the Second World War – when not at school – worked at RAF Longbenton. They were responsible for carrying messages, providing support to aircraft handlers, filling sandbags, and loading miles of belt of ammunition.

 

The Air Cadets has since evolved into a unique voluntary youth organisation, offering young people opportunities to develop themselves, try new adventures and activities, and learn key lessons in citizenship and the importance of society.

 

Cadet Christopher Rushton, 16, of Longbenton, who plays the drums, said “It was great fun to be a part of the Cadet150 celebrations and show people the amazing amount of different activities we do like flying, adventure training, and music.” 

 

Squadron Commander, Flight Lieutenant Gary Richardson said, “I am extremely proud that our squadron has represented the Air Cadets with great enthusiasm and pride.” “We aim to provide quality training for

 

 

young people in our community to develop leadership, citizenship and life skills, allowing the youngsters to gain in self-discipline, self-motivation and achieve internationally recognised qualifications.”

 

Gary added, “If you’re interested in joining Longbenton Squadron, then you can visit the Squadron on any Tuesday or Friday evening from 7:00pm to 9:30pm situated on Marquis Close, Longbenton, NE12 9SB, just next to the DVLA Test Centre, or visit www.2344.org.uk