The West Midland RFCA Podcast

The Cadet Experience: Young Voices & Leadership Stories

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In this episode, we explore the world of the Cadet Forces and the role they play in helping young people build confidence, skills, friendships and a sense of service. 

Recorded across a parade night at Stafford's brand-new Joint Cadet Centre and Warwickshire's Lord-Lieutenant Cadet Investiture Ceremony, the podcast features nine voices from across the Cadet community, including Cadets, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers and outgoing Lord-Lieutenant Cadets.

Together, they reflect on what Cadets means to them in the West Midlands, the opportunities it can create, and the vital role that volunteers play in making those experiences possible. 


Timestamps  

0:09 - Introduction 

1:12 - What actually are Cadets and how does it all work? 

5:02 - Sergeant Johnson & Corporal Frost, 395 (Stafford) Squadron 

11:44 - Cadet Leicester & Sergeant Ayaneti, 395 (Stafford) Squadron

16:48 - Sergeant Daz Valiz, Unit Security Officer for 395 (Stafford) Squadron + Acting Pilot Officer, Rhiannon Taylor 

27:29 - What are Lord-Lieutenant Cadets? 

30:19 - Interviews with Warwickshire’s outgoing Lord Lieutenant Cadets: Cadet Regimental Sgt. Major, Bennell-Low, Flight Sgt. Costin


Links:

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https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-west-midland-rfca-podcast/id1870819622 

SPEAKER_06

Hello everyone. Hello and welcome back to the West Midland RFCA podcast. Your one-stop shop for everything West Midland RFCA. Reservists, estates, veterans, employer engagement, community outreach, and today's focus, which is one of the most inspiring parts of our wider Armed Forces community, cadets. And just before we get into the episode, I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone that's listened to the podcast so far. We've had some great feedback, and if you've enjoyed the show, the best way that you can support it is very simple. Tell someone about it. Send an episode to a friend, a family member, a colleague, or someone you just feel might be interested in the Armed Forces community here across the West Midlands. Every share really does help. Now, today's episode is a cadet special, as I mentioned, and it is packed with local voices. You'll hear from cadets across our region, including young people we spoke to at a brand new joint cadet centre in Stafford, and their inspiring dedicated instructors, as well as the three outgoing Lord Lieutenant Cadets from Warwickshire that I chatted to after their investiture ceremony. But before we hear from all of them, it is worth taking a moment to ask a pretty simple question. What actually are the cadets? So the UK's Cadet Forces are MOD-sponsored youth organizations with close links to the armed forces, but, and this is important to remember, they are not part of the armed forces themselves, and being a cadet does not mean a young person is signing up for military service. Really, you should think of cadets as a stellar youth organization. At their heart, they are all about helping young people develop confidence, discipline, resilience, teamwork, leadership, and a sense of service to their community. Across the UK, that includes the Sea Cadets, the Army Cadet Force, the RAF Air Cadets, the Volunteer Cadet Corps, and the school-based Combined Cadet Force. Each has its own traditions, identity, and flavour, but they all share a common purpose, giving young people challenging, enjoyable experiences that help them grow. And the story of the cadets goes back a long way. Maybe we'll do an episode in the future really getting into the weeds of it, but for now, here's a quick primer. So the roots of the cadet movement stretch back into the 19th century. In the 1850s and 1860s, schools and communities began forming uniformed youth units, partly in response to fears of invasion, but also as a way of giving young people structure, training, and opportunity. The Sea Cadets traced their origins to the Naval Lads Brigade, founded in 1856, to support vulnerable young people in port towns. The Army Cadets grew from those early volunteer and school units, while the RAF Air Cadets emerged later, shaped by the growing importance of aviation in the years before the Second World War. During both World Wars, cadets played supporting roles on the home front, and after 1945, the modern cadet movement continued to evolve. In 1948, school cadet units were brought together under the Combined Cadet Force, and over the decades the cadet forces became broader, more inclusive, and more focused on personal development. One huge milestone came in the 1980s when girls were permitted to join the Army Cadet Force. And more recently, the Cadet Expansion Program has helped bring cadet units into more state schools, opening up the opportunities to more young people in more communities. And here in the West Midlands currently, that opportunity reaches a huge number of young people. Across our region, there are over 11,000 cadets, which includes the Combined Cadet Force, from all three services. And here at West Midland RFCA, we provide both financial and logistical support, as well as assistance and encouragement in recruiting cadets and adult instructors. So when we talk about cadets, we are talking about something with real scale, real history, and real local impact. Today, cadets take part in everything from first aid, navigation, fieldcraft and flying, to boating, music, sport, adventure training, leadership, volunteering, and of course the Duke of Edinburgh Award. But the real impact is often less about the activity itself and more about what it gives to the young person, the ability to stand taller, to speak with confidence, to work as part of a team, to support others, and to believe that they have something valuable to offer. And that is exactly what we wanted to capture in this episode. So we're kicking off now in Stafford, at a brand new Joint Cadet Centre, hearing directly from the young cadets using it and their CFAVs, that's Cadet Force Adult Volunteers. Before moving on to speak with three Lord Lieutenant cadets, those being cadets who have been recognized for their commitment, character, and service. This is not just an episode about uniforms, parades, or tradition. It's about young people finding confidence, community, and direction. So let's get into it. You're going to hear three conversations now with 395 Squadron in Stafford. First up is my chat with Sergeant Johnson and Corporal Frost, then Cadet Lester and Sergeant Ionetti. And finally, Sergeant Daz Vallis, Unit Security Officer for 395 Squadron, and acting pilot officer Rhiannon Taylor. Okay, and we're back. We're live now from the Stafford Joint Cadet Center on a very exciting night. We've just seen Drill, and I am joined by two young cadets. Can you introduce yourselves, please?

SPEAKER_10

Yep, so I'm Sergeant Johnson from 395, and I'm Corporal Frost from 395.

SPEAKER_06

How long have you guys been in the Air Cadets?

SPEAKER_10

So I've been in two years now, this month, which is quite nice.

SPEAKER_01

And I will be four years in this September.

SPEAKER_06

And why the Air Cadets? Why not Army? Why not sea?

SPEAKER_10

I don't know. I've always been interested in light planes and joining the RAF to be honest. So I thought Air Cadets is probably better.

SPEAKER_04

What about yourself?

SPEAKER_01

I have a big military past and my granddad was in the military. However, I he was in the army. He was a Cold Stream guard. But I always had a passion for aviation and I did look into joining the army cadets. However, then I discovered the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. And I thought I'd give it a go. And it's probably one of the best decisions I've ever made. Why? Because I feel like there's a sense of relief knowing that you've had a tough day and then you get to go, do what you love with the people that you know, and you do everything from like say drill, radio, leadership. It's really, really good. And what is a typical like what is your schedule?

SPEAKER_06

So is it every week you guys are coming here or?

SPEAKER_10

So we come two times a week, so Mondays and Wednesdays. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

And and what does that consist of then?

SPEAKER_10

So we mentioned drill before and then you have your classes and Yeah, so basically what happens is we all come into the building, we drop our bags off, we do our registers, see who's here, then we do drill, then we head to our classes straight after. Then after that, we'll have naffy, so that's a 15-minute break, grab drinks, snacks to refresh, then finish back, finish our lessons, and then we'll be given out duty to clean the building after we finish with it.

SPEAKER_05

What do you think about duty?

SPEAKER_10

I don't mind duty. So basically I'm a s I'm a s no, so but how you liar.

SPEAKER_05

There's a face being pulled here, I mean.

SPEAKER_10

So no, so because I'm an NCO. Basically, what happens is you don't actually do the duty, you give out the duty and s and s and supervise it. So actually I've got the I've got the easy job, really. I just get to watch people clean toilets and all that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What about yourself? I'm pretty much the same. I um I haven't been on duty yet, so I haven't had the pleasure of giving people the worst duties possible. But um I will eventually, and I've got a couple of names definitely will be getting put on toilets.

SPEAKER_06

And we are recording this in a brand new building. The Stafford Joint Cadet Centre, as I mentioned, opened on, or at least the sort of the the media day that we covered here at RFCA was on um February 14th. So we're just a few months away from that. How is the new building? How is it to be here?

SPEAKER_10

To be honest, it was a lot better than where we were last time. Last time we were in a cold hangar. This time we've got so many facilities open to us, which is really good. So it gives us more opportunities to do more just more overall.

SPEAKER_05

But what what is here? What's new here that you couldn't do before?

SPEAKER_10

So basically we've got an IT room that's full of flights in to give cadets the opportunity to fly if they don't actually get to fly on a plane. We've also got lots of classrooms for more learning. It's before. We have four now, and we used to have two, which was an issue. Um we've got a giant nap room slash parade hall to do uh to do drill. And we've also got outside to do drill as well, so we've got lots of spaces to do drill and improve on that. Yeah, and that's pretty much it. We got toy we got like single-use toilets, so that's quite nice.

SPEAKER_06

There's all the toilets for duty if needed. That's great, yeah, definitely. Well what about yourself? What do you like here?

SPEAKER_01

I think I like how everything is organised. I mean, going back from before the hangar when we were on foresight, it was a lot bigger than this, and it actually became an issue because there's too much to do. You'd have cadets doing duty halfway through the the parade at the end of the night, and it was just really annoying. But this, it's small but not too small, it's perfect for the amount of cadets we have, and the new TVs as well, we're not using whiteboards or laptops and everyone can see it, and I think it's just great because the amount of we have obviously share it with the army cadets, and I think it goes to show that if you do take care of a building it will last as seen here. I mean, I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference from when it first opened.

SPEAKER_06

No, well, it's only been a few months since it's so yeah, no, but it but it is in in great shape. So um I guess finally, and I w I want to start with you, like what what has being here given you like in and you can take that in whatever way you mean.

SPEAKER_01

Um I think it's given more opportunity because beforehand, um, like Sergeant Johnson said with the flight sims, we only had two operational flight sims in the old hangar, and that was shared as an office for the staff. So it's quite awkward trying to do your blue wings, and just over your shoulder you've got the squadron laser just sat in the back listening to what you're doing, but now we've got multiple sims, we've got multiple consoles, we've got a wind tunnel that's actually working. Yeah, it's amazing that thing, yeah. It means that we can teach um blue PT a lot easier and get a lot more people through it. Leadership as well, leadership's a lot easier to teach because we've got a huge well shooting range is what it was supposed to be. Um, but it's great because we can do all our stem work in there and it's nice and air conditioned and heated at the minute. It's warm because obviously of spring, but when the summer comes around the corner, this building will be lovely and cool, not like our hangar, which was the complete opposite.

SPEAKER_05

This hangar, the reputation of this hanger's crazy.

SPEAKER_01

No, it just had it our heating was a big hangar door. That was what was controlling the heat. Oh, and a mini radiator.

SPEAKER_06

And what about yourself finally, like uh being here, the the opportunities?

SPEAKER_10

Well, like I said before, we get so many opportunities now because of all the facilities that we've got. So we've got like before, we only had we had barely any room to do any badges. I think the one that we were good on was leadership because of the space we had. But now we've got lots of classrooms, got other facilities that we can do more badges on, which helps the cadets as well.

SPEAKER_06

Well, gentlemen, thank you so much for your time. This has been great.

SPEAKER_01

You're very welcome, thank you.

SPEAKER_10

No problem.

SPEAKER_06

So we're back in the Joint Cadet Centre here in Stafford, and I'm joined by two young cadets. Can you introduce yourself, please?

SPEAKER_03

I'm Cadet Lester from 395. And I'm Sergeant Ionetti, also from the Young Empire.

SPEAKER_06

Sort of you, Sergeant Ionetti. How long have you been uh part of this organisation?

SPEAKER_03

Um, almost four years in September.

SPEAKER_06

And what was the initial impulse to join?

SPEAKER_03

So, no one actually believes me when I say this, but I watched Top Gun Maverick and I thought it was really cool. So I decided to join Cadets.

SPEAKER_06

No, it's a great film. What about yourself? What did you join?

SPEAKER_02

About two years ago.

SPEAKER_06

And was that Tom Cruise based as well?

SPEAKER_02

No, I just wanted to be in the um the raft when I was younger, so I wanted to join this, see if it would what it would be like.

SPEAKER_06

So you've seen a lot of changes here and you've seen the move from the hangar, which we've heard about a lot, to here. How has it been being here, like all these new shiny facilities?

SPEAKER_02

It's really nice. Like it's like with the hangar, it's all like really dusty and stuff, but in here it's like really nice. It's like clean and it's much bigger with loads of classrooms and stuff.

SPEAKER_06

And have you found that it's helped your learning all these new facilities or?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, really. Like, because it's like loads of classrooms where we're not like cramped into one classroom, but like spaced out, so it's like more room.

SPEAKER_04

What what what about yourself, how you found it here?

SPEAKER_03

I think having a nicer facilities like dimmable lights and heating and stuff like that has definitely made the cadets more like wanting to come down to cadets so they're not freezing in that huge hangar. And obviously the like television screens and stuff make lessons so much easier.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, they are massive. We're we're there's one towering above us right now. It's it's incredible. But um, what's the hardest thing about being part of the raffle?

SPEAKER_03

Maybe for those who don't enjoy it as much, like building up the confidence when you're an NCO, like a brand new NCO, it's difficult to know when to like display cadets and find the voice to speak up and actually be a leader. And maybe find the like determination to come down when it's like a cold evening and you don't really want me get out of go to cadets, but every time you do, you end up, you know, having a fun conversation with someone here or learning something new and it's always worth it.

SPEAKER_06

What's your favourite part of being here?

SPEAKER_03

I would say my friends. I I've made some friends here and on camps that I will have for the rest of my life.

SPEAKER_06

There's so much about Rafek here. We've been into all these different classrooms and we've seen all the reading maps and and the the the flight science and stuff like that. What elements do you like personally the most?

SPEAKER_02

I like fieldcraft.

SPEAKER_06

Fieldcraft. Tell us about that. What is that?

SPEAKER_02

It's like where you do like you put on like camo cream and stuff and go like sneaking about and stuff.

SPEAKER_06

Because most people think it's just an air thing, Rafek, isn't it? But like that's silly to think that. That's what I think. But that's wrong, right?

SPEAKER_02

It's like all different things. It's not just like Rath, it's like different things like policing, army, navy, you know, and then RAF.

SPEAKER_06

And what what are you thinking in the future?

SPEAKER_02

Are you thinking that you want to pursue this a bit further or is it more Um I want to be like a a RAF dog handler. So like a police dog handler.

SPEAKER_06

They have dogs in the air. What's that about?

SPEAKER_02

Like the policing, like if you get a dog, like you go like going after people and sniffing for bombs and stuff, like to to help people. Like canines. Like feel, yeah, feel more like safer around areas and stuff. It's like searching for threat.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, I like that. I like that. And what about yourself?

SPEAKER_03

What's the Um I definitely want to join the RAF, but I'm not actually sure what I want to do because there's so many opportunities.

SPEAKER_06

There is so many opportunities.

SPEAKER_03

I'm just gonna see what happens.

SPEAKER_06

Do you want like a Maverick style kind of?

SPEAKER_03

I did originally, but I'm not sure it's for me anymore.

SPEAKER_06

And I'm interested, like how this works, because obviously you guys are in school, you know, and and this is a big commitment in the evenings. How have you found balancing school life with being part of the cadets?

SPEAKER_03

I have actually taken a day off once from school to go flying, so they can go hand in hand. It it it's every Monday and Wednesday evening, so it doesn't overlap much with school. And even if I did have like revision, because I've got GCSEs, I can bring it down to cadets and do it for the first half of the night and then join in with activities for the second half, so I'm not actually missing out on anything.

SPEAKER_06

What about yourself? How's the balance been?

SPEAKER_02

Um, it's been balance is pretty good. I'm going into like GCSEs, so like when it goes to exams, like what Sergeant said, I can bring my revision down and do it.

SPEAKER_06

That's fantastic. That's fantastic. Well, I guess uh finally I want to ask you both the same question. Someone's listening to this maybe and they are thinking about joining. What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_03

I'd say definitely come along, have a look around, get to experience a bit of everything that we do. Like it's not just RAF stuff, if that's what people are worried about. We do stuff like canoeing, BMXing in the summer and field craft. And there is something for literally everyone. Like you will find something here that you enjoy doing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think it's a great opportunity to do because it will help with like later stuff, and it'll give you like because you can do like DV and then flying and other stuff, which is really good experience to do, like, and you can do other activities as well.

SPEAKER_06

Thank you both for your time. This has been great.

SPEAKER_02

It's all right. Thank you, Alan. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, and we're back again.

SPEAKER_00

We're here at the Joint Cadet Centre in Stafford, and I am joined by I'm Sergeant Dazwallis, I'm Unit Security Officer for 395 Squadron.

SPEAKER_09

And I'm acting pilot officer Rihann Taylor, and I'm from Stafford Squadron, but I'm also at 633 AGS at Cosford.

SPEAKER_07

Rihanna, what's your role here?

SPEAKER_09

So I've started to take over D of V and so ensuring expeditions are put on for all the cadets, bronze, silver. Um, and if uh we're not putting them on for gold like for the wing, there's other areas that other other paths that they can go and get their gold. Um so we look out at other wings um and organise to see if the cadets from our squadron can go on their expedition and making sure they're happy with what they're doing for each section, so you're volunteering, your skills, your physical, and they're making good progress on each aspect.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, excellent. And Daz, what about yourself? A multifaceted role.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I've got multi-pool roles. So on the squadron, I'm the unit security officer, so I'm in charge of making sure that we follow all of the RIF's policies and procedures on security, giving the cadets and staff security briefs if any major incidents happen and their annual security brief, and also if they're going on holiday, I can find the latest Foreign and Commonwealth officers' travel advice, just to give them a bit of a brief about what countries they're going to, how to keep themselves safe. As well as that, I'm one of the squadron, well, squadron and wing fieldcraft instructors, so I teach fieldcraft quite a lot, and I'm the photography lead for Staffordshire Wing.

SPEAKER_06

And how long have you been associated with defence?

SPEAKER_00

So in defence, I've been in associated with the air cadets for about 27 years. First joined the forces in 1993, where I joined as a reservist in the Army Reserve with the Shield Foresters and as an infantry soldier before transitioning to the Royal Engineers. Was a reservist for six and a half years, and then I was a Royal Air Force police dog handler for 12 years after that in the regulars.

SPEAKER_06

And how how is it here? I mean, you know, we're here on a parade night, it's just there's so much energy, it's so boisterous. You know, it's great to be around. Like, how is it for you?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you do get a complete buzz out of it because especially it's not so much just one parade night as the build-up of all of the parade nights across the time. Because you see young cadets come in on the first day and they're really nervous and really shy. And then you see them when they go to leave and come back as officers, and they're very confident and developed into well-rounded citizens.

SPEAKER_05

And Daz, you turned around in there where you said that. So could can we hear a bit about that story?

SPEAKER_09

Yeah, so I joined Cadets in 2018, um, 12-year-old, year eight. I was the only one from Eutoxita, so that's where I live. So I knew nobody, like like the others, they go to school with everybody. But I was the first one from Eutoxita. Had no friends, didn't talk to anybody. Um, and I found it really difficult the first six months, I'd say, because I struggled finding friends talking to people. Um, but cadets put you in situations where you've got to adapt and you've got to make those friends. And I went on, I was a cadet for eight years. So I timed out in October last year when I was 20. Um and I became an officer. So I went straight, um, put my application in when I turned 20. Was a CI for a bit, so just adapting from being a cadet war officer, so being at the top, to then becoming a staff member and seeing the other side of it. I'd done quite a few things in cadets, so that's what that's the reason I stayed on as staff, because the only reason I got out of what I did with cadets is because of the staff. They were the ones that, what are you doing next? What do you want to achieve next? I think that's that's the reason I stayed. Um, but I met Daz when I was about 15, I'd say. Um, and I think I went on a wing course and he was there. And it was just nice having a friendly face there to to talk to. And then again, ask what do you want to do next? What what do you want to achieve before you time out?

SPEAKER_06

Daz, is that a common thing where people get to a certain age and want to just stay on a staff or yeah, we do see quite a lot of the cadets do come back as staff members.

SPEAKER_00

It's not all about them going into the regular armed forces. So it's joining the armed forces. We encourage cadets to learn about the military, but we don't actively recruit for the military. And it's not for everybody. Some cadets want to come, do it as a cadet, and then leave, go off to university, maybe come back five, six years down the line, come back as a staff member. Others they want certain things out of it, like they want to get the gold D of V, they want to learn how to fly. And then by I know some ex-cadets that have gone off to be airline pilots, and then we've got others like Rihanna that come back to be staff members, and we do get quite a lot that do come back as staff. That's fantastic, yeah.

SPEAKER_05

And these facilities, this is a recurring theme of this episode, because these facilities are outstanding.

SPEAKER_06

Um, Rihanna, from your perspective, so obviously that's quite interesting that you would have been here. Yeah. Uh the hangers been coming up below, we got that. But like, how has this been for you just kind of experiencing all that's new here?

SPEAKER_09

When I joined Cadets, I was 12 and and we were at a squadron before the hangar. Um so we were somewhere called number four site, which is around the corner from here. Um, and that was the best site. Um, we had access to the building and it was fully wired off, and we were the only ones there. Um so we had access to the building, all the areas outside, um, so we could put on all aspects of training. Um so I think that started off my cadet career really well. Then it got sold to turn into houses and that's the reason we moved into the hangar, which it was a big change going from such a a a well-used squadron to the hangar. Um but we tried to make the make the use out of it. Um so I was a cadet war officer, so I was in charge of the NCO team and making sure all the cadets were okay. So I took on quite a big role with with the the moving to make sure we're trying to maintain as many cadets from the nice squadron that we had to the to the hangar, but maintaining the amount of training we were outputting as well. And then I timed out while we were at the hangar. Um so I haven't actually experienced this as uh this building as a cadet, but I see what the cadets are getting out of it as a staff member. Um and it's really nice to see because when we were doing the show around and the cadets coming round, you just saw smiles on the faces because they'd gone from the hanger to here. Um and like Daz said night and day, yeah. Yeah, Daz was like talking about um the cadets like in the toilets, and like that's such a small thing that the cadets notice. Um but going from the hanger to here, that's that's something that makes them smile. So it is really nice to see.

SPEAKER_00

It's a mate, and Daz, for your perspective? So I've been lucky that I've been on cadet squadrons all around the country and gone from one room Nissan Huts in World War II right up to massive multi-story buildings for extremely large squadrons where they've got 200 plus cadets. But this building is absolutely fantastic, it's got state-of-the-art technology, the training that we can provide here. I know the cadets keep me on about the big screen TVs. I'd love to be down here tomorrow night watching the Champions League on them instead of my TV. But it's great because they can learn all about not just about flying, but they've got space, they've got outdoor space, they've got the classroom space. We can teach them to give presentations and they can actually get things make things themselves, presentations themselves on using things like PowerPoint and then get the PowerPoints up on the big screen. So it really having them facilities really, really allow us to have a very, very varied training programme. And also we've still got MOD Stafford next door that allow us to use some of their facilities. So things like sports and all that stuff, we can use their training facilities, which is really good having neighbours that are willing to assist us.

SPEAKER_06

Finally, Rihanna, we'll start with you. One of the big focuses that we've got at the moment um from our perspective at the RFCA is Cadet Force Adult Volunteers. We're trying to encourage them as much as possible. From your perspective, why is it so important that people become Cadet Force Adult volunteers?

SPEAKER_09

I think for my case, it was because I'd been a cadet. I had them staff members that were pushing me to strive for the best, to do what the do what I can to get to the best places. And I think if I was in that position and didn't have that staff member there asking what I was doing next, I wouldn't have got half the experiences out of cadets that I did. And so that's the reason I stayed on and became an adult uh adult forces volunteer. And I want to be there to push them and say, what are you doing next? What do you have in like in mind that you want to achieve before you finish cadet? And that's that's what strives me. So I think if someone out there wants to do that as well, push them to do their best, then that's all that we really need.

SPEAKER_05

Very well said. What about yourself, Daz?

SPEAKER_00

So the important thing to realise to become a cadet force out volunteer, you don't need to have any military experience at all. You don't need to have been an ex-cadet. I'm lucky I was in the army and the Royal Air Force, but I was never a cadet myself. There's an opportunity for everybody out there. You don't have to necessarily come into uniform. You can join the squadron civilian committee if all you've got is a couple of hours a month to help basically make sure the squadron's being run properly, or you can be a civilian instructor where there's no minimum commitment, or you can come into uniform as either a senior NCO like myself or an officer like Rihanna. But the thing is that you'll get out of it, you get a lot of training and individual personal development as a staff member, which can help you develop better as a person as well. But the big thing is, and it's making that difference, seeing the difference you can make to a young person's life, and when you get them come back. I had a cadet once that came up to me and she was really upset. And she's actually why I joined the cadets because I was only visiting a squadron at the time to give a talk about what it was like to be in the Royal Air Force, and she was sat there and said that she really wanted to join the RIF, but she never thought she'd be able to because of where she lived and the background that she lived, and that she thought that that was beyond her. I then didn't see that cadet for good six, seven years. The next time I saw them after that, after having a bit of a chat with them and saying, Look, it is open to everybody, anybody can do it. There's so much development out there. I bumped into a Costford Air show and she was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force, and she actually came back and said thank you for that chat. And just having cadets coming up to you in the street or events and people that you might not have seen for years and saying, Thank you for helping me when I was a cadet, just it makes such a difference and it makes you feel a bit proud because you know you've made a difference to somebody. And being a cadet forces adult volunteer gives you that opportunity to make a difference every single day.

SPEAKER_05

Dan's Rennan, thank you so much for your time.

SPEAKER_10

Thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_05

Cheers, thanks for coming.

SPEAKER_06

Huge thanks to everyone there at 395, and particularly to Sergeant Vallis, who you just heard there. He was gracious enough to invite me and my colleague along to the parade night to film the interviews, and you know, he was a wonderful host, showing us around the magnificent new facility that they now have down there in Stafford. Now, let's turn our attention to my chats with three more cadets, three cadets who have achieved one of the highest honors in the cadet forces, that being becoming a Lord Lieutenant Cadet. And that is something that I'm sure many listeners won't necessarily be aware of what it is. I certainly wasn't aware before joining WMRFCA, so it probably helps to start with the obvious question. What's a Lord Lieutenant, first of all? So His Majesty's Lord Lieutenants are the King's representatives in each county of the UK. They uphold the dignity of the crown while also supporting the civic, voluntary, business, and community life of their counties. Essentially, they act as the King's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. And each year, Lord Lieutenant's cadets are selected to support them at official events and engagements. Typically, they're drawn from the Army Cadet Force, Royal Air Force, Air Cadets, and Sea Cadets, and they act as aides to the Lord Lieutenant and as representatives of the Cadet Forces. It's a role that provides an important link between the armed forces and local communities. It also helps support Cadet Force recruitment and assists the work of the county's RFCAs. And these cadets, they're not chose at random, they are selected because of their outreach, their participation, and their commitment within their squadron, detachment, or unit. Across March to May each year, we host six annual cadet investiture ceremonies across the six counties that WMRFCA cover, that being Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, and, of course, the West Midlands. These ceremonies are there to celebrate the achievements of the outgoing Lord Lieutenant Cadets, while welcoming the new cadets taking on the prestigious role for the year ahead. They also recognise the achievements of senior cadet staff and cadet force adult volunteers throughout the area, the people whose time, care, and commitment helped make this whole cadet offering possible. So I was thrilled to attend the Warwickshire ceremony in late April, held at the magnificent Shire Hall in Warwick, and to see firsthand the brilliant work all three outgoing Lord Lieutenant Cadets that year had achieved during their time in the role. What follows here then are three brief interviews that I managed to grab with those outgoing Warwickshire Lord Lieutenant Cadets, those being Regimental Sergeant Major E. V. Benel Lowe, Flight Sergeant Iona Costin, and leading cadet Bella Chamberlain of the Sea Cadets. Now, apologies in advance for the slightly poor audio on my end, it was quite loud in there, but thankfully you can hear all three of these brilliant cadets loud and clear. So let's get into the first of my interviews there.

SPEAKER_08

Can you introduce yourself, please, and your role?

SPEAKER_11

I'm Evie Ben Orlow. I'm recently appointed RSM. Uh I am the this year's outgoing Lord of Tenants Cadet.

SPEAKER_08

Now, this is a momentous day. How do you feel about the year?

SPEAKER_11

Um, I mean, it's been an absolutely amazing year. Like, wouldn't you just couldn't put the experience into words. There's just so many things to say. You know, the people we've met, um, the experiences we've had, you just it's honestly unbelievable.

SPEAKER_08

Is is there one highlight there at?

SPEAKER_11

Um, I mean, I would say the highlight for me, um, I'm constantly like teaching others, so you don't really hang around with people on your level type thing. So I think meeting the other incredible cadets um and just building a friendship with them, talking about them, trying to get similar experiences, I think that was really amazing.

SPEAKER_08

And finally, if someone's thinking about maybe joining the army cadets, what advice would you give?

SPEAKER_11

Do it. I would say definitely do it. Um, it's one of the best things I've ever done. You know, you learned so many new skills. I was so unsure whether to join or not because I was nervous. But then once I joined, you know, everyone's so friendly and you just the skills you gain are incredible and set you up for life. So I would definitely recommend to do it.

SPEAKER_07

Can you introduce yourself, please, in your role?

SPEAKER_11

I'm Flight Sergeant Iwana Costin. Uh I'm a flight sergeant in the Royal Air Force Air Cadet, and for the last year I've been the Lord Lieutenant's cadet for each year.

SPEAKER_07

How was this year been?

SPEAKER_11

Amazing. It's been the best year of my life, so many opportunities and so so many events in so many different areas of the county. Um, it's just been amazing.

SPEAKER_08

What has been the highlight to you?

SPEAKER_11

I think meeting so many dedicated volunteers. Volunteering is a really difficult role, uh, and people don't really see that. And I didn't know people did as much as they did in the county until I started my year with the Lord Lieutenant. So I think that was really eye-opening to me.

SPEAKER_07

And thinking about the airpads in general now, what would you say to someone, a young person, is thinking you're joining?

SPEAKER_11

Joining cadets has been the best thing I've ever done with my teenage years. Uh, I've had countless amazing opportunities. Being selected to be the Lord Lieutenants representative is in itself an amazing opportunity. I've also done flying and gliding and shooting, and I've been on so many courses and I met so many wonderful people. I wouldn't trade up for the world. I'm Bella Chamberlain, I'm a leading cadet at Sea Cadets, and I've been Lord Lieutenant Cadet this year.

SPEAKER_07

How has this year been? I mean what a crazy role.

SPEAKER_11

It's been amazing. I've had so many opportunities, I've met so many different people. I've also been to a lot of buffets. Um, it's been a great opportunity. I'm really grateful for it.

SPEAKER_07

Aside from the eating, what has been the highlights?

SPEAKER_11

Oh, there's so much. Um, there's been some really serious moments where we've been able to meet some people with some incredible stories, but at the same time, we've been on the most like surreal sort of events ever. There was this one time where we went to a water park, not a water park, but we ended up on this miniature railway going through um with like forest. It was so cool. The Lord Lieutenant's great. He's always makes us all feel so welcome. And his wife Penny, she's amazing. Um, whenever he notices that we feel nervous, he'll like be there for us.

SPEAKER_07

And finally, here at the RFCA, we're always encouraging people to join it.

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_07

So from a C cadet spectacle, what would you say to someone who's made about joining it?

SPEAKER_11

I joined when I was 10, so I've been in C cadets ages. I've had so many opportunities, I've rode at National Regatta. Sea Cadets has just opened so many doors for me and given me so many skills I can take into my future.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, and there you have it. Thanks again. Huge thanks to the three Lord Lieutenant Cadets there for speaking to the podcast and also, of course, to 395 Squadron down in Stafford for their great interviews too. This has been a super fun episode, and it's always great to highlight the amazing work that the Cadet Force Adult Volunteers are doing and the amazing opportunities that the Cadets get to take part in. Perhaps you're listening to this and thinking you might want to join the Cadets. Maybe you're young enough to join, maybe you're slightly older and you want to get involved by being a Cadet Force Adult volunteer. We'll put all the links down below where you can find out more information there. And again, this has been another terrific episode. Huge thanks once more to all the brilliant guests. And if you're enjoying this episode and you want to, in some way, give back to the West Midland RFCA podcast, please subscribe. Please tell a friend, please help to spread the word. I have been your host, Tom Quee here, Comms Officer at West Midland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association. We've got lots of exciting episodes coming up. We've got a very busy season ahead of us. We've got Volunteers Week, Armed Forces Week, Annual Camp is coming up for the cadets. We've got the ERS Awards as well. So yeah, it's non stop over here at the West Midland RFCA podcast. And that just leaves me once more to say thank you so much for joining us. I've been your host, Tom Quee. Subscribe, tell a friend. We'll be back in a month or so. Okay, bye.