Newark Armed Forces Cadet units seeking more adult volunteers to help reach more young people with life-changing skills and experiences

More adult volunteers are needed to help uniformed youth groups grow and continue to change lives.

Newark’s cadet forces provide a vital lifeline for many young people in the area, allowing them to build confidence, resilience and gain skills and qualifications for their futures — as well as giving them an active role in the community by volunteering and participating in civic events such as Remembrance Day parades.

The Cadet Forces Report 2025 authored by the Commanding Officer of Newark Sea and Royal Marines Cadets, Sub Lieutenant (SCC) Simon Cullen, revealed both the extent of the benefits, and the need for additional volunteers and improved facilities to help reach even more 12 to 18-year-olds.

The government has launched the 30 by 30 campaign for cadets, aiming to increase the number of UK Armed Forces cadets by 30% by 2030 — and as part of his report, SLt Cullen has issued a call to action to help meet this goal in Newark, which has Sea Cadets, Air Cadets, Army Cadets, and Combined Cadet Forces.

To deliver 30 by 30, the area needs 10 to 15 more adult volunteers; modern, fit-for-purpose facilities; and businesses’ sponsorship, grants, and volunteering.

Adult volunteers do not need any previous qualifications or experience — military or otherwise — but simply need to be willing to give up some of their time on evenings and weekends and get involved.

The commanding officer said: “We need people who are passionate about giving back, and teaching the cadets.

“Speaking from experience with the Sea Cadets, we provide training, we give them the tools needed to succeed — they learn to parade, to march, seamanship, and how to work with young people.”

Aside from seeing the positive outcomes of their efforts, there are other benefits for volunteers, as they will be supported to learn new skills, gain qualifications, and have experiences which will benefit them both in their role with the cadets and potentially in their daily lives and careers.

For SLt Cullen, his role within the cadet forces enabled him to learn to drive powerboats, and his additional qualifications have also given him opportunities to teach in other places.

“There’s a lot adult volunteers can gain from it as well,” he added.

Work is also getting underway to secure improved facilities, particularly for the Sea Cadets, through Project Waterfront — which will need significant public support going forward to help ensure its delivery.

Currently in initial talking stages with councils, the Canal and River Trust, and other involved parties; the project aims to create a purpose built, Trent-side headquarters for the cadet group, as well as benefiting other groups and organisations in the town.

“It’s very much in the early stages, but we have been making waves,” SLt Cullen added.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the current base on Sherwood Avenue, but we have outgrown it. We’re not able to do any residential training unless we reach out to other detachments — which is more ferrying about for parents, and 10 to 15% of our cadets have no transport.

“Project Waterfront would mean direct access to the water — where we are we don’t have that, and it throws up the issue of having to travel to Girton. It’s a bit like a circus at the moment, we’ve got two row boats, paddleboards, kayaks, a powerboat which we have to pack up and take.”

While the primary focus of the development would be to provide the cadets with the facilities to further increase their training and activities, as well as increase membership, it would also be a space which could be used by other community groups, cadet forces, and businesses.

“It is a fantastic project which we are excited about, but it needs massive funding — how do we pay for it?” the commanding officer said.

“Being a charity, we can’t just put our hands in our back pockets and pay for it all.”

In terms of benefits to the young people themselves, figures released as part of the report revealed that nationally 87% of cadets feel more confident since joining, one in five cadets come from disadvantaged backgrounds and see significant benefits from the opportunities offered through the groups, and that 45,000 accredited qualifications are earned by cadets each year — including BTECs and RYA boating certifications.

SLt Cullen added: “Giving young people the best start at life, that’s why it is so important cadet forces exist and need to grow.

“It also plays into crime stats, it is keeping people off the streets.

“It’s really something they take pride in doing, it looks fantastic on a CV, and some do go on to the military. We had a cadet who turned up in a police car as the officers didn’t know what else to try — and now he is a rotary pilot in the Royal Navy.

“There is a vast amount of opportunity.”

In Newark and Sherwood there are currently around 250 cadets across all four forces, and around 50 adult volunteers. It is generally aimed to have one volunteer per five cadets, so an additional 10 to 15 could allow 50 to 75 more young people to benefit from being a cadet.

Those interested in volunteering can email SLt Cullen via: Simon.Cullen@cadetmail.mod.uk.