New Valley Way Cadet Centre opens

Barbara Follett attended the official opening of the refurbished Army Cadet Centre in Valley Way in Stevenage on Saturday 13th October.

Mrs Follett said, “I was really impressed by the £200,000 refurbishment to the Cadet Centre. It is great that the Army Cadet Force (ACF) and the Air Training Corp (ATC) are now together under one roof. I am sure that all the Cadets are very proud of their new facility”.

The Valley Way cadet facility has just undergone a £200,000 refurbishment, bringing together the Army Cadet Force (ACF) and the Air Training Corp (ATC) under one roof. Previously, the ACF and the ATC were based in two separate huts at the Valley.

This funding was made available by the Ministry of Defence, and administered by the centre’s parent organisation, the Reserve Forces & Cadets Association.

The newly organised site at the Valley will house around 35 ACF members and 30 ATC members. The combined centre hopes to use the refurbished premises as a launch pad for a recruitment drive across the south of Stevenage.

The opening ceremony will also be attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Lady Verulam, and the Mayor of Stevenage, Cllr Graham Clark.

The Cadet Centre

From left: Barbara Follett; Herts Army Cadet (ACF) Force Commandant, Lt/Col. Chris Sharwood-Smith; Cadet Corporal Martin Sherlock and ACF civilian instructor Mr Dan Green

The Cadet movement
The Cadet movement is a national voluntary youth organisation dating back more than 100 years in the UK. It is tripartite, comprised of the Army Cadet Force (ACF), the Air Training Corp (ATC) and the Sea Cadets (SC). Membership is open to girls and boys aged 13-18. Each branch is sponsored by the British Army, RAF and RN respectively.

Combined, there are about 100,000 Cadets in the UK. The ACF is the largest component, with c. 44,000 members and 1,700 centres across the country. The ATC has 41,000 members and 1,000 centres.

 

Issued: 22.10.2007

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