Caistor cadets are county best

Although there are just 12 cadets at Caistor, they won the Community Challenge Trophy, the Operation Reflect Award and, most importantly of all, the Best Detachment Trophy.

Marie Fisher has been detachment commander since 2012 and was overwhelmed with how the cadets had performed this year.

She said: “I was shocked when I was told we had won the best detachment - I still am!

“I can’t express how proud I am of this detachment.

“I don’t think we can better what we have done this year.”

County Commandant Col Jeremy Field MBE went along to Caistor last week to present the trophies to the cadets on their ‘home ground’ and join in the celebrations.

“It has been Caistor’s year and rightly so,” said Col Field.

“The top detachment is not easy to win and people assume the Best Detachment trophy will go to the biggest group but Caistor has proved that isn’t the case.”

The trophy recognises the cadets’ work over the past 12 months, across a number of disciplines.

“I was delighted and surprised that Caistor kept coming up there at the top,” added Col Field.

“There are 800 cadets in the county and 200 adults in 31 locations.

“Caistor has the top attendance in the county with 92 percent coming along week in, week out.

“There are lots of little things that add up and make them the best in the county.

“A lot is down to the staff, but a lot is down to the cadets themselves.

“The cadets are the best advert for the cadet force.

“These young people are the epitome of what youth are about today.

“They have done fantastically well and I am really proud of them.”

Adding his congratulations to the cadets was Commander of Four Company, Major Mick Webber.

He said: “How proud I am to be company commander of the area Caistor is involved in.

“The amount of work these young people have put in over the last year is phenomenal.

“It is incredible to go to camp and come away with three major trophies.

“They don’t realise just how good they are.”

The Community Challenge Trophy was received for the work the cadets have done with the Lincolnshire Memories and Memorials project.

The cadets put together a film about wartime experiences in Caistor, either first hand or through family memories, and also set out a wartime trail for the town.

The third award, Operation Reflect, was made for a project on a specific area of World War I.

The cadets will be heading to Belgium next year and, hopefully, laying a wreath on the grave of a Caistor casualty.

Town Mayor Alan Somerscales attended the presentation evening and was invited to inspect the cadets longside Col Field and he was clearly impressed with the detachment’s successes.

He said: “We should be greatly encouraged that the youth of today in joining organisations such as the cadets.

“Being the best in the county when competing against much bigger detachments is a serious achievement which Caistor people should be very proud of.”