The 1220 (March) Squadron Air Cadets were delighted to be runners up in the recent “Pride of Fenland” awards. For the ninth year running the awards have been held by Fenland Council to recognise the unsung heroes and heroines in the community. The categories are: Good Neighbour; A group/club/organisation benefiting the community; and Young Citizen.
Nominated by the Squadron Civilian Committee, the volunteer staff were amongst the 14 finalists for the Group category. The awards, held on 12th March, saw the Commanding Officer of the Squadron, Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Burnham attending the awards to represent the staff, with Mr Charlie Grigglestone, Secretary for the Civilian Committee.
Flt Lt Burnham said, “I am so proud of our team, and the fact that we have been recognised for the work that we do with local young people. The Air Cadet Organisation is something that we, as staff members, really believe in, and we do as much as we can to make sure that our Cadets get as much out of it as possible.”
The Squadron is renowned within Fenland for their participation in local events, including Remembrance Sunday and the St Georges Fayre where the Squadron band takes the lead in parades. The Squadron staff give up a number of evenings and weekends throughout the year to ensure that Cadets are able to successfully complete Duke of Edinburgh Awards, BTEC examinations, as well as being given opportunities to go flying at RAF Wyton and represent the Squadron at various sporting events.
The Squadron have also received news from the Air Cadet Organisation recently that they were the winners of the Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire wing Walker trophy for 2014. The Walker trophy is awarded each year to the Squadron considered the best in wing. The Squadron has now been put forward for consideration of The Sir Alan Lees trophy, which is awarded by the ATC Commandant to the squadron with the best statistics and overall impression when inspected. The inspection is due to take place in April, with the winners being announced shortly after.