Chichester Sea Cadets are among 'most improved' in the UK as troop rebuilds after pandemic

The youth group, based on Pound Farm Road, was presented with a Gold Burgee by the Sea Cadet area officer during an annual presentation on December 5, recognising the unit as among the most improved across the UK.

It’s a huge honour for the cadets, not to mention the adult volunteers who make all of their activities – from Remembrance Day parades, to camping trips to days out on the boats – possible.

Speaking to the Chichester Observer, Chairman Graham Watson said the pandemic had a huge impact on the Sea Cadets, with numbers dwindling down from 25 well-trained and eager cadets to just four as the country emerged back into normalcy. Thanks to the hard work of Graham and his volunteer colleagues, the cadet troop is back on track, with 16 cadets and adult four inistructors on the books.

"It’s the highest award that any unit can actually get, and it means we were in the top five per cent of most improved units in the country,” Graham said. “It’s great to be able to walk in the entrance door now, and hear the kids laughing and joking and having fun – and looking really smart, too. They’ve been taught how to fit their berets properly, how to clean their boots, and how to press their uniforms – all that sort of stuff. They have a lot to be proud of."

It’s almost no surprise that the Cadets have built back up so quickly. Speaking to Graham, it’s clear the Royal Navy-funded group has a lot to offer the young people in its ranks.

"I used to be a cadet with Chichester myself. I joined at ten-years-old, and it’s a great thing,” he said. “There’s this really brilliant sense of belonging to something when you’re all dressed in the same uniform, and people are taking their time to teach how about things – and our unit, since we’ve got a minibus, we can take cadets off the unit for training and courses elsewhere.”

To find out more about and contact Chichester Sea Cadets, visit their website.