 As part of the Charitable foundation set up be the North of England P&I Association in Newcastle to celebrate their 150 anniversary, SI Watson from Amble Detachment received a cheque on behalf of the company for £500 to go towards the work we do with young people in the community. Add Comment  Amble Detachment was very privileged to attend Windsor Castle to witness the presentation of new Colours to the 1st Battalion and No. 7 Company Coldstream Guards by Her Majesty The Queen. Travelling down the day before, we were very grateful to Berkshire ACF who provided accommodation at their CTC at Bramley Training Camp in Hampshire. After the Colour presentation the Detachment attended a luncheon gathering in Victoria Barracks, home to the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, and then alongside other Coldsteam affiliated ACF and CCF detachments were presented with a superb Detachment sign, resplendent in Blue/Red/Blue colours, by the 15 (North East) Brigade Commander Brigadier Grenville Bibby CBE, who is also the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Coldstream Guards. The photo above Brigadier Bibby, centre, with Major Mark Ewart, OC W Company, SSI Zoe Luke and Amble cadets. More photos appear in our 2012 gallery. 
Corporal Jordan Harnett, 16, of Amble Detachment has been presented with his Army Proficiency Certificate 4-Star by the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland. Jordan, who joined the ACF five years ago, recently completed the arduous week-long Senior Cadet Instructors Cadre under the watchful eye of the Regular Army NCOs of the 15 (NE) Brigade Cadet Training Team. He has also been an active participant in County shooting team, becoming one of the top shots in Northumbria ACF. Only the top 10% of cadets go on to achieve the APC 4-Star qualification, which requires immense dedication and all round ability. Jordan's 4-Star badge and certificate were presented by HM Lord Lieutenant, the Duchess of Northumberland, at the annual award ceremony at Ashington TA Centre last week. The Company congratulates Jordan on his achievement and looks forward to him developing further as a senior cadet NCO.  Members of Amble Detachment recently celebrated the Royal British Legion's 90th anniversary. The cadets, led by DC WSI Terrie Hedley, attended a service at St Lawrence's Parish Church in Warkworth. The photo above shows the cadets with local vicar, Rev. Canon Janet Brearley, shortly after the service.  Members of Amble Detachment have been out raising money to help make an eight year old's dream come true. Local lad Brandon Ballance, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour when he was aged two, has always wanted to swim with dolphins and the cadets of Amble were only too happy to help raise funds towards his trip. The brave youngster's mum Sarah Nicholson set up the "Brandon's Wish" campaign to raise the £15,000 needed for the trip. It will cost more than £1,000 just for the insurance, given Brandon's medical needs. The Amble cadets took part in a sponsored walk between Amble and Warkworth, raising more than £300 for the fund. They are pictured above with Brandon outside Warkworth Castle.  The Coldstream Guards Recruit Support Team visited W Company the other evening, organising a range of challenging activities to keep the cadets entertained. The cadets, including those badged Coldstream Guards from Amble Detachment, took part in command tasks, climbing wall and a gun run assault course. The evening concluded with a DVD presentation of what the 1st Battalion has been getting up to on their recent tour of Afghanistan. The cadets of Amble Detachment are pictured with the team above.  Cadets from Amble Detachment attended the rededication of the Newcastle Branch of the Coldstream Guards Association's new Standard today. Detachment Commander, WSI Terrie Hedley, was accompanied by Cpl Daniel Spence, Cdt Caitlin Craik, Cdt Jack Southward, Cdt Mark Willey and Cdt Jordan Stevens. The service took place in the prominent Church of St Thomas the Martyr, right next to the city's Haymarket bus interchange. Rothbury Detachment Commander and former Coldstreamer, Lt Barry Lister, also took part in the event. The Amble cadets had planned on parading alongside the new Standard, but the poor weather put pay to that idea. Nonetheless the day was the ideal opportunity for the Detachment to reinforce its close links with the Association and Regiment as a whole. The Coldstream Guards recruiting team will be visiting Amble Detachment on 17th February.  W Company's resident javelin champion, Cdt James Scott, was presented with his national colours this evening. James, who threw a personal best 38.2 metres at the National Championships last weekend, was welcomed home by proud Company Commander, Major Mark Ewart, and Detachment Commander, SI Zoe Luke. Major Ewart is seen congratulating James on his triumphant return to the Friendliest Port. His brassard is now looking rather full, so I hope the RSM isn't reading.   Cdt James Scott of Amble Detachment has struck gold by winning the intermediate boys javelin at the Army Cadet Force's National Athletics Championships held in Grantham yesterday. James, a cadet at Amble for the past three years, stunned onlookers at the County Athletics last month by throwing 30 metres, which was a good 10 metres better than his nearest rival. Details of James' national winning distance haven't yet made it as far as W Company HQ, but we'll publish the raw statistics here as soon as we know them. Cpl Jack Hale of Rothbury Detachment added to the Company's silverware by coming second place in the senior boys 4 x 100 m relay. Our congratulations go to both James and Jack on their tremendous achievement.   Cadets from across Northumbria ACF converged on Amble today for a full dress rehearsal of the County's Cadet 150 celebrations. The Army Cadet Force was founded in 1860, when the threat of invasion by the French was heightened and the British Army was spread thinly across the Empire. Step forward 150 years and we've come a long way since Octavia Hill started the first Army Cadet units in deprived areas of London. Back then the fortunate few boys who made it into the ACF struggled along with primative equipment on a shoestring budget. Today's ACF has almost 50,000 cadets and 10,000 adults, based in local Detachments from Lands End to John O' Groats. It uses some of the most modern equipment the British Army has to offer, including our own brand new weapon system.  Each of Northumbria ACF's four Companies staged a different activity at today's event, which ran alongside Amble Town Council's St George's Day celebrations. Cadets from X Company gave a demonstration of PT; cadets from Y Company took a historical look at cadet dress and equipment through the ages; cadets from Z Company gave a demonstration of foot, rifle and banner drill. Northumbria ACF also had recruiting, Duke of Edinburgh's Award and first aid stands for members of the public to view. Unfortunately our own cadets, from W Company, were unable to stage their segment because the climbing walls they planned to use have been recalled for a safety inspection.  Cadets from Amble Detachment were on hand to ensure the smooth running of the local event - some of them were even seen to participate in the country dancing sessions on the Town Square! Overall it was a pretty good day, which has given us a good idea of where we need to concentrate in the run up to the big Cadet 150 event in Newcastle in June.  | ArchivesMay 2013 CategoriesAll |
