ELA, Engineering, Events in the Community and Environmental Work!

ELA, or Entry Level Award in Health and Safety, is a qualification offered to cadets within the squadron at an early stage. The course, which is delivered over a number of parade nights, covers a range of health and safety topics allowing the participants to gain a greater insight into stay safe, not only within the ATC but also in future work. The course looks at five main areas, including fire safety, identifying risks, personal protective equipment, safety signs and responsibilities, combining both classroom work with practical demonstrations, all of which help to develop the cadets understanding.

Engineering, part of the STEM acronym (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), is a growing part of the organisation, with a greater focus on developing the scientists and engineers of the future. This can all begin with simple tasks, such as leadership or STEM related projects, as well as more specific research projects as part of the classification training. This builds key skills such as communication and team building while learning new skills at the same time.

The squadron regularly assists with events in the community, both those organised externally as well as ones arranged in-house. Noteworthy participation includes the unveiling of the RAF100 Memorial within the town, annual Armed Forces Day, Remembrance and Beating the Retreat parades, in addition to collections for the Poppy Appeal, RAFA and squadron funds. Other community events, such as church services and stalls are also widely attended by the squadron. Included in community events is litter picking, which links to Environments Work.

The squadron conducts regularly litter picks in and around Seaham, supporting both Seaham Town Council as well as other organisation such as Durham Heritage Coast. This work lead to the squadron being shortlisted last year in the category of “Volunteer Group of the Year” at the Durham County Council Environmental Awards, in which we were highly commended.

Do you fancy getting involved in any of these activities? Are you up for fun, adventure, incredible experiences and making new friends? Aged between 12 (and in year 8 ) and 17? JOIN AIR CADETS. We are recruiting now, send us a message to find out more and join us next week as we continue our #WhatWeDoWednesday articles.

Durham Northumberland Wing Air Cadets
North Region – Royal Air Force Air Cadets
Commandant Air Cadets
Royal Air Force Air Cadets