High Flying Cadet
2016 sees the 75th Anniversary of the Air Cadet Organisation, with a National Torch Relay from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
One of the highlights of the Torch Relay will be an Air Cadet flying the Torch across the region on Sunday 7th August. Cadet Sergeant (Cdt Sgt) Phoebe Jenner, who is undergoing Pilot training, will fly from Birmingham to Coventry. Cdt Sgt Jenner said “It is a thrill for me to take part in this National Event and I am looking forward to put the Air in Air Cadets. It’s also going to be such an amazing experience to be able to land at Birmingham International airport”!
Starting at 12 Noon on Sunday 7th August, the Torch will be handed over to Warwickshire & Birmingham Wing Air Training Corps at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas. It will move on to Victoria Square in Birmingham City Centre where a Recruiting display will already be in full flow, with a Climbing Tower, Music Displays and the chance to sit in a Scale Model of a Spitfire. From there, the Torch is transferred to Birmingham Airport for the flight to Coventry, where it will then visit the City Centre and eventually be taken to Kenilworth Castle for the Last Post.
On Sunday 8th, after an early visit to Warwick and Stratford, the Torch will then visit one of the iconic V Bombers previously operated by the R.A.F., an Avro Vulcan based at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield. It then moves to Bruntingthorpe Testing Ground in Leicestershire where it will be part of a Sponsored Aircraft Pull, before starting the next leg of the Relay.
Members of the Public are invited to visit the Recruiting display in Victoria Square, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. where not only young people but also any potential Adult volunteers can find out about joining the organisation.
All this activity cannot be undertaken without the support and assistance of a number of organisations giving time and space to assist with the Relay:
National Memorial Arboretum, Birmingham City Council, Royal Air Force Association,
Royal British Legion, Birmingham Airport, Coventry Airport, Kenilworth Castle,
English Heritage, 655 Maintenance & Preservation Society,
Lightning Preservation Group; Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground.