Wednesday the 8th February saw the official opening of the CCF(RAF) Contingent at Neale-Wade Academy and Cromwell Community College. They stood up with their first intake in September, and the official opening is linked to the cadets achieving their First Class Cadet Awards.
Neale-Wade Academy welcomed Group Captain David Boreham, Central and East Regional Commandant. Gp Capt. Boreham was welcomed by the CCF Staff, Contingent Commander, Flying Officer Mark Twigge and Pilot Officers Jamie Russell, Helen Parks and Sam Mandley. The CCF parade was led by Cadet Flight Sergeant Charlie Gatty.
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) was established as an RAF Section between Neale-Wade Academy and Cromwell Community College in September 2022. Supported by Sgt Trevor Sanderson from the CCF Training Evaluation & Support Team (TEST), the Section recruited over forty Year 9 cadets from the two schools. Since September the cadets have been working towards their First Class Cadet Certificate which involves studying topics such as History of the RAF, Aircraft of the RAF, Radio Communications and Map Reading, plus of course the ubiquitous drill. Sgt Sanderson organised a trip to London to visit RAF historical landmarks such as the Battle of Britain Memorial and St Clement Danes church.
During Gp Capt Boreham’s visit each cadet received their First Class Cadet Certificate. The cadets then demonstrated some of their skills. Gp Capt Boreham said “Congratulations to every cadet of Neale-Wade Academy and Cromwell Community College for their first milestone and for achieving their First Class Certificates. Considering the CCF RAF Contingent only started in September, it was fantastic seeing the cadets working so well as a team and looking so smart on Parade. It was an impressive turnout and welcome to the RAF Air Cadet Team. I look forward to seeing the Contingent going from strength to strength”.
Graham Horn, Principal Neale-Wade Academy said “We are proud of the work our staff and cadets have put in to make our CCF Contingent a success. We look forward to recruiting more students next year. Providing a range of opportunities in and out of the classroom is fundamental to our curriculum at Neale-Wade. Our RAF Section is one of these opportunities. Our cadets are already showing success through the activities they have been involved with and this in turn will develop their own confidence and thus pride in themselves and their community”.
Jane Horn, Principal, Cromwell Community College added “It’s fantastic to see our young people are developing new skills through our RAF Section. We are already promoting our most promising cadets and putting forward these young people for Leadership Training at the RAF Cadet Centre in Inskip, Lancashire. These cadets will support with the leadership of our Section alongside our other senior cadets”.
Great to see CCF and local ATC interoperability where the cadets on the local sqns and who are part of the CCF Section are bringing their experience to the fore and making a big difference with initiating this CCF. The ability to start with experienced Cadet NCOs has been pivotal in generating an outstanding start to the cadet experience at Neale-Wade CCF, and it was brilliant to see these young people recognised with promotion.
