Cadets who parade in a Cambridgeshire city have some extra elbow room after their base of operations received the all-clear to increase the number of people allowed inside.
All three branches of Armed Forces Cadets can make use of the Joint Cadet Centre (JCC) in Heaton Drive Ely, but there has been a particular surge in interest locally for the Royal Air Force Air Cadets.
In 2020 there were fewer than 25 Air Cadets parading at the JCC, but their numbers have doubled since then, with more young people still on a waiting list.
So it’s great news that the brick single-storey building—built in the 1970s and refurbished by East Anglia RFCA in 2022 to provide modern, fit-for-purpose Cadet training facilities—can now host more people.
Fl Lt John Donoghue, Officer Commanding at 1094 (City of Ely) Air Cadets, said of the change: “We are all very excited to hear how many of the current 33 young people on our waiting list will be able to join us. The ACF numbers at Ely are very healthy as well and the appetite for both Cadet services in Ely show no signs of abating.”
Sqn Ldr Keith Hicks, Sector Commander East of the Beds and Cambs RAF Air Cadet Wing, added: “This will make a real difference to the local community, especially the continued house building that is taking place in Ely and the surrounding areas.”
On 22 October this year, public service contractor Capita carried out a fire risk assessment facilitated by the RFCA. Their independent inspector decided an earlier maximum number of people allowed in the building at once—65—has now also doubled, to 130. This change is thanks to the refurbishment the RFCA undertook.
The JCC’s renovations were funded mainly by revenue from hiring out surplus space. There are three classrooms, a flight simulator and radio communications room in the building, along with two large drill halls that make ideal training or exercise spaces on weekdays when Cadets are at school.