ROTARY CLUB OF CHURCH WILNE

What the Rotary Club of Church Wilne is doing for the local community and why now is a good time to join our club or become a friend of Rotary? Each year the Rotary Club of Church Wilne`s Past President has the honour of recommending where Rotary charitable funds are distributed. On Monday 31st July, Rotarians voted on the Past Presidents recommendations and the following charitable funds are now to be distributed:
 £1,000 for “The Friends of St Chads Church”, to assist with maintaining the church building.
 £1,000 to the “Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team” (DAST), This is a registered charity for the relief of people who have suffered ill-health, injury or become disabled from their work with asbestos.
 £200 to the “Ockbrook Shoot” to assist with the installation of a defibrillator that will be installed at the Bartlewood Lodge Pub.
 £500 to be donated to the Memorial for Lynette Shandley – an Ockash Trust initiative, Lynette was a much-respected member of the local Community who is sadly missed.
 £500 to Erewash Home start.
 £400 to Borrowbrook Home Link. 
 £400 to the Redhill Pre-School Group
Rotary is an established and well-respected organisation that has been raising funds for local, national and international Charities for over 100 years. We are also actively involved in disaster relief and helping to improve the lives of those less fortunate.
Rotary is much more than raising funds for charity. You will be surrounded by like- minded people and many friendships and positive associations will be made. Some of those friendships will last a lifetime. We have a huge social calendar of events for you to get involved in, help to organise and enjoy. To find out more about the Rotary Club of Church Wilne, please visit our website: https://www.churchwilnerotary.org.uk/index.html Alternatively, please email our Club Secretary rccw1202@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook for more information about the Rotary Club of Church Wilne. We would welcome an opportunity to have a chat about how to get involved. All enquires will be most welcome. We look forward to hearing from you.

LIFE CHANGING AIR CADETS

When Ben Halford joined the Royal Air Force Air Cadets aged 12 he was, by his own admission, “no angel at school”. Fast forward 7 years and Ben, better known by his peers as Cadet Warrant Officer Halford, is a transformed man who is about to apply to join the police. Not only that, but he also has several hours of flying under his belt, two additional BTEC qualifications, and he has visited Buckingham Palace and the White House because of his achievements in the Air Cadets.

The 19-year-old, who lives in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, is encouraging others to join ahead of his squadron’s recruitment day later this year. He said: “Cadets has really changed my life and given me a sense of purpose – it sounds cliché but it has. There’s this ‘one team’ mentality, a sense of family. Then you go on camp and realise it’s not a small organisation, there are pockets of these people right across the country, in fact about 42,000 of them. Then you get exposed to opportunities such as flying, gliding, and shooting too.”

Black Hawk helicopter

Originally Ben had his sights set on joining the Army Cadets until he was encouraged to try the Air Cadets during a military aircraft open day at the East Midlands Aeropark, Castle Donington. He joined 2195 (Long Eaton) Squadron, which neighbours Long Eaton United Football Club off Station Road in 2016, and hasn’t looked back since.  In fact, it’s become a family affair as both his parents are now involved too. His dad is one of the Cadet Adult Force Volunteers and his mum recently ran the London Half Marathon to raise funds for the Royal Air Force Association. Ben’s highlights include the Air Cadets’ flagship National Air and Space Camp at RAF Syerston, Nottinghamshire, in 2019 and the pride of carrying the Kings Colours during the 2019 Remembrance Day parade in Long Eaton.

Last year he was also selected as one of 12 Cadets from across the UK to travel to the United States on a once-in-a-lifetime International Air Cadet Exchange programme. Ben, who currently works as a sous chef, said: “The trip encompassed the very best of Cadets. I visited American Air Force bases, I went to The Pentagon, the Capitol Building, I was outside of the White House, and I flew in Black Hawk helicopters – all of that through Cadets. What other club would allow you to do that?”

Long Eaton Air Cadets

2195 (Long Eaton) Squadron has grown in popularity over the years, with 60 Cadets aged 13-20 years-old currently based there. The squadron meets between 6.45pm – 9.15pm every Tuesday and Thursday, with each night involving a formal parade, activities such as archery and fieldcraft, and regular opportunities for training – first aid and use of the virtual reality flight simulators are some of the most popular. Outside of the weekly ‘parade nights’ there are also weekend activities surrounding flying and gliding, music and sport, and annual week-long camps on RAF bases, adventure training centres, and other military establishments. Flight Sergeant Lyra Smith, 16, Castle Donington, has been with Long Eaton Air Cadets for almost four years. She said: “I like how welcoming the squadron is and the variety of experiences you get to do as there are many opportunities and loads of things you can get stuck into. I first came when some of my family friends were coming. My dad used to be an Air Cadet, so it was something I was quite interested in. Since joining I’ve got into music and drill, which have been really good for me. I was in the National Concert Band, which was really fun. I got to play with a professional musician – she’s amazing – and playing with all of these other likeminded musicians was really good. It was good to play with the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra [one of 14 Regular British Army bands], that was quite fun, and then playing at Heathrow Airport, airside, with the marching band.”

Corporal Sian Le Poidevin, 14, Long Eaton, added: “You can do everything you could imagine in the Air Cadets. It’s really nice to be able to go on different courses and learn different things and have different experience that you wouldn’t elsewhere. My highlight is the week-long fieldcraft camp we had in Swynnerton – the comradery of it all, being away from home, learning new skills like archery, shooting, and camouflage and concealment.”

Mountains and ex-Forest

One of Ben’s proudest achievements is hiking through torrential rain in the Rhinogydd mountains, Wales, to achieve a Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award – all the more memorable as he discovered his A-Level results shielding from the rain under a tree on the expedition’s nerve-wracking final day. In May he was invited to Buckingham Palace to formally receive his award, meeting former England and Nottingham Forest footballer Jermaine Jenas and speaking with Prince Edward during the after party. Ben is now one of the oldest Cadets at Long Eaton. As his time comes to an end and he looks to become a Cadet Force Adult Volunteer, it’s less about him, and more about creating extraordinary experiences and memories for others. “Long Eaton Squadron is very diverse, and everyone comes here for different reasons. For me, it’s about helping others,” he added. You might just be a teenager, but to those Cadets you’re a therapist, you’re a teacher, you’re a role model, you’re their best mate and some who don’t come from the best backgrounds, Cadets is their escape.  It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, you’ll be welcomed in. If you’re considering joining, you’ve got to just go for it.”

Interested in joining the RAF Air Cadets? 

2195 (Long Eaton Squadron) will be holding a recruitment evening on Thursday 14^th September 7.00pm, at the squadron building on Station Road. Please email adj.2195@rafac.mod.gov.uk for more information.

Open nights are also being held at other locations on the
following dates:
·         1360 (Stapleford) - Thursday 14
September, 7.30pm
·         1359 (Beeston) - Tuesday 19th
September, 7.30pm
·         126 (City of Derby) - Thursday 21st
September 7.30pm
·         348 (Ilkeston) - Thursday 28th
September, 7pm
Visit www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets to find out more. 
by clicking here.

JOIN THE POLICE

Derbyshire police are currently looking to recruit police cadet leaders throughout the force.  This is a  voluntary role with many benefits.  If you are interested in joining our force and becoming a valued member of the police service, take a look at the attached document.  If interested, you can apply via our website. Cadet Leader (Volunteer) :: Derbyshire Constabulary Jobs. We are also looking to recruit Special Constabulary volunteers, to see more, click here Special Constable (DP23b) :: Derbyshire Constabulary Jobs    

GOVERNMENT TO HELP SMOKERS QUIT

 Maggie Throup, Member of Parliament, for Erewash, has welcomed the announcement that the Government will seek views on adding pack inserts into cigarette packets to encourage more smokers to quit. Under proposals, positive messages encouraging people to quit smoking will be placed inside packaging of cigarettes. The messages will set out the health benefits of quitting - for example, improvements to breathing within a matter of days and a 50 per cent reduction in the risk of a heart attack within a year. The recently launched consultation will seek views on the introduction and design of pack inserts.

Throughout her time in Parliament and as a Health Minister, Maggie has called upon the Government to take greater action to tackle smoking, as doing so would save lives and help the UK become Smokefree by 2030.

Maggie commented: “Smoking remains the single leading preventable cause of illness and mortality in the UK. Smoking contributes to nearly four per cent of all hospital admissions each year and it costs the taxpayers an estimated £21 billion every year, including over £2 billion in costs to the NHS. It is great news that the Government will seek views on adding pack inserts into cigarette packets. This is certainly a step in the right direction if we are serious about meeting our Smokefree 2030 target. I represent a constituency in which 16.6 per cent of people still smoke. If implemented, I have no doubt that this measure will encourage smokers in Erewash to quit. I would encourage anyone in Erewash who has been impacted by smoking to take part in this consultation. Despite this positive news, if we are determined to meet our Smokefree 2030 target, the Government needs to rapidly implement the recommendations of the Khan Review in full. In particular, I would like to see the Government raise the age of sale of tobacco by one year, every year. This may seem like a drastic measure, but it will help create a smokefree generation. Implementing the Khan review in full will save lives and help us meet our 2030 smokefree target.”

The consultation was launched on 14th August 2023 and runs until 10th October 2023. You can have your say on the proposals by clicking here.

GOLDEN KITE TRADING

 

To visit the Golden Kite website click on the picture on the left.