Please see the Christmas Message below from the Comdt:
“This time last year I wrote my first Christmas message to the ACO when
I had only been in post a few months. This time, I have been in command
for the entire year so I know even more about the amazing things cadets,
volunteers and staff have achieved.
It has been an incredibly busy year and there have been some significant
highs as well as a few very sad lows. I take this moment to remember
members of the ACO who lost their lives this year and to say that our
thoughts and prayers continue to be with their loved ones. We will
remember them.
Turning to more positive memories of 2013, I could write pages and pages
about the many achievements our cadets have enjoyed, supported as always
by the incredible team of adult volunteers and permanent staff who make
the cadet experience possible. If I named some events and not others, I
would be bound to upset someone so, instead, I will simply say that I am
incredibly grateful to everyone who has worked so hard this year to
ensure that our cadets continue to be seen as world class young people
who are an inspiration to others. Our volunteers, too, are the envy of
many other voluntary organisations and I pay tribute to their talent and
their dedication – we simply could not exist without them.
On the strategic front, we have made some real progress and I am looking
forward to taking forward some big projects in 2014, all aimed at
enhancing the cadet and volunteer experience, as well as supporting our
small team of permanent staff as best we can. The establishment of our
first ever Duty Holder Gliding and the rebirth of No 2 FTS as the home
for all cadet gliding activity is a very exciting development and we
will keep you updated as plans evolve.
Father Christmas has come early this year and, whilst I can’t go into
details here, I can advise that we have some significant donations from
the RAF Charitable Trust and the RAF Waddington Air Show which we intend
to invest in supporting the delivery of cadet gliding and flying. The
VGSs will see some some significant investment and I hope to announce
details in the New Year.
I, for one, am looking forward to some family time over the Christmas
and New Year period and I hope that many of you will find time to relax
and enjoy the festive season. It goes without saying that I am
thoroughly enjoying my role as your Comdt and I look forward to another
full and exciting year of cadet activity and achievement. I will try to
visit as many of you as possible but if we don’t get to meet in person,
you can always connect via social media and let me know what you are
doing out there in cadet land.
I wish every member of the Air Cadet Organisation all you would wish for
yourselves and your loved ones at Christmas and in 2014.”
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