Central & East Region are proud to announce that Cadet Warrant Officers Owen Blood of 121 (Nuneaton) Squadron and Zoe Webb of 1986 (Wymondham) Squadron are this year’s nominations for the ATC Cadet of the Year competition; known as the Dacre and ATC75 Sword competition
Cadet Warrant Officer Owen Blood Cadet Warrant Officer Zoe Webb
The annual competition to find the best cadet in the Air Training Corp (ATC) awards the Dacre sword to the winner and the ATC75 sword to the runner up and has been running since 1979 when Mrs Elizabeth Dacre MBE TD JP presented to the ATC the dress sword of her late husband, Air Commodore G B Dacre CBE DSO DL RAF. The ATC75 sword was introduced for the runner up in 2016 to mark the 75th Anniversary of the formation of the ATC.
Cadet Warrant Officer (CWO) Owen Blood has been a member of 121 (Nuneaton) Squadron since he joined the Corps in 2015. His cadet career has been jam-packed in that time, having attended the Nijmegen Marches, been selected as Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for Warwickshire & Birmingham and been selected as one of only two cadets to attend the India Youth Exchange Programme!
CWO Blood said “I am an avid advocate for making the experiences of cadets on my own Squadron, and at Wing level, as beneficial and comfortable as possible. This is displayed through my achievement of the Method of Instruction (MOI) and the receipt of many mentor awards on annual rewards evenings. These values are ones I would carry through with me into the award, once again using my platform to work with staff members in aims to engage with cadets and work on feedback and comments, hopefully helping the ATC in its continued success and development.”
CWO Zoe Webb also joined the Corps in 2015 as a member of 1986 (Wymondham) Squadron. Her cadet career spans sport (being selected for Regions teams for Netball, Hockey, Athletics and Cross country), the Duke of Edinburgh Award (having achieved Bronze & Silver), being selected to take part in the Junior Leaders programme and completing her solo flight as part of the Air Cadet Pilots Scheme!
CWO Webb said “If I were to be successful, I would embody the RAFAC ASTRA strategy goals to build the next generation. I want to help the organisation develop, ensuring people from all backgrounds, no matter their orientation and preferences, have their own identity, their own voice ensuring they are treated as equals, and ensuring they have the same opportunities to choose from as everyone else. Looking towards developing the inclusivity of the organisation by enhancing the knowledge of LGBTQIA2S+, mental health, and Autistic spectrum disorders. As an ambassador, your role is to help inspire the next generation to reach the best of their ability, and challenge what they think is possible. It’s about inspiring individuals to make the most of every opportunity offered.”
We wish both CWO Blood and CWO Webb all the best in the next stage of the selection process and we know that they will do the Region, their Wings and Squadrons proud!