Squadron T-shirts

The new squadron t-shirts have arrived and, I must say, look excellent.

Thanks to the committee, every cadet will be issued with a t-shirt that will be yours to keep - even when you leave (call it a "memento").

The shirts will be issued during the coming weeks. If you'd like to order anything else (e.g. polo shirt, hoodie), please refer to the poster on the main noticeboard, place your order with a member of staff and hand over your money...

...no payment, no garment!

Paternity leave

As you may be aware, I am currently on Paternity Leave until the end of the year.

If you've got any queries, please direct them to your NCOs and the staff - I will not be checking any emails sent to co@414atc.com.

Thank you for the card - I'll bring baby along one night!

Summer Stand-down

Please note that the sqn will stand down for two weeks this 'summer'.

The last parade night before close will be this Thursday, 26th July.
The first parade night after close will be Tuesday 14th August.

As always, any questions/queries to co@414atc.com, please.

Tues 26 June

Tuesday sees the presentation of a new award by representatives of Epping Probus Club; the Epping Probus Award for Best New Recruit.

The trophy is an aircraft impeller blade, mounted on a mahogany plinth, and will be presented annually to the best new recruit from the past 12 months.

The presentation, with full press coverage, will take place at the sqn HQ at 2000hrs (8pm), followed by an inspection of the cadets and refreshments.

All parents welcome!

Sat 23 June

We will be taking part in the Veterans' Day celebrations organised by the Royal British Legion; namely a parade through Loughton, followed by the presence of the banner at the follow up event.
2000
Meet at 0930 at Traps Hill car park (by the swimming pool) or at 0900 if you do not have transport.

Dress: Wedgwood blues, white belts/gloves for banner party.

March past should be complete by 1100, when we will move to the event area for the follow-ups.

Last event of the day will be "Beating the Retreat", to be held at 1900 hrs (we hope to be finished by 2000hrs latest).

Race Night 2007 is under starter's orders!

This year's Race Night will take place on Saturday 26th May at The Squadron, North Weald Airfield, starting at 7:30pm.

Entry is £3 for over 16's and £1 for under 16's - however, if you're a cadet; it's FREE!

There will be 10 races; 9 normal and 1 special "auction" race. You simply pick the horse you think will win, place a £1 bet. Then sit back, watch the race, cheer on your horse and hope you win!

In addition to the races, there will also be a raffle; star prize being a brand-new DVD player!

Last year's event raised £300 for the squadron - let's try to improve on that this year.

All of the money raised on the evening will go towards our goal of buying a squadron minibus, so tell all of your friends and family to come along and enjoy themselves!

Note: The Squadron is a members'-only club licensed to serve alcohol. If you are under 18, please do not embarrass yourself (or us) by attempting to get served. If you do, at best you will be laughed at and refused, at worst you will be ejected from the premises. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

Upcoming events

There are many events appearing on the squadron calendar that require your support! Please make sure that you have permission from your parents where necessary:

• 28-29 April - Falklands Competition
• 5-6 May - D of E Bronze expedition weekend (earn that patch!)
• 26 May (tentative) - Race Night (fund-raiser)
• 15-16 June - Air Britain Fly-in
• 23 June - Veterans' Day Parade (Epping/Loughton - street parade and funfair)
• 23-24 June - Wings & Wheels Model Spectacular (car parking)
• 1 July - Wing Parade & Families' Day (bouncy castles galore!)
• 7 July - Ivy Chimneys School Fete (recruitment stand and drill display)
• 11 August - Trip to WW1 battlefields in Belgium (£20 per head)
• 4 September - the CO's birthday!
• 15 September (TBC) - Battle of Britain Parade

Recruitment

Our recent Open Evening was a relative success, in that we have got 5 new recruits. However, I am certain that we can do better!

The intake window is open for another 3 weeks; closing at the beginning of May. If you know of anyone that may be interested in joining, now is the time to get them to come along!

Uniform

Now that we're finally into our summer programme, the standard uniform will be No.3 (DPM) unless otherwise specified.

Please make sure that you check the programme on the noticeboard for full details of the evenings' activities

Annual Camp - update

RAF Cosford, 28 March to 4 April inclusive, cost approx. £45, 1st Class cadet or above.

We have been successful in our attempts to secure more places! We now have 6 MALE places for this camp.

A reminder - you need to ensure that you have approval from your school/college to attend, as the camp is likely to overlap with term-time.

Consent forms will be given on a "first come, first served" basis i.e. those that pay the £45 and can confirm permission to attend will secure their place.

!!!FORMS NEED TO BE COMPLETED, SIGNED AND RETURNED ASAP!!!