A POPULAR Evesham group is expanding the activities it offers its young members thanks to an injection of funding from Tesco.
Evesham Sea Cadets teaches young people important life skills such as leadership, cookery and first aid through nautical adventure activities, including canoeing and sailing.
In November 2017, the group was awarded £2,000 by Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme, which they’ve used to purchase equipment for Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions.
Jane Winfield, chairman of Sea Cadets Evesham, said: “Thanks to the funding, we’re now able to provide all the necessary equipment for the expeditions, including tents, sleeping bags, rucksacks and stoves, so that all our cadets – regardless of their household income – are able to take part.
“In a few months, we’re hoping to buy some canoes so our members are able to work towards kayaking qualifications and compete on both a local and national level.”
Sea Cadets is the UK’s largest maritime youth group, established in 1856 and working in over 400 units with 14,000 cadets aged between 10 and 18.
Jane added: “Through the programme, these young people are learning to become more confident, more resilient and more adaptable members of the community. It’s wonderful to support them on their journey to becoming young adults.
“We have cadets from all walks of life and with varying abilities whose communication and social skills have grown thanks to the encouragement of unit instructors. They’ve become more independent and confident in themselves, which has in turn had a massive positive impact on their school work.”
Keith Jackson, Bags of Help manager at Tesco, said “It’s great to see this project come to life as it is a fantastic example of the positive impact that these kind of outdoor programmes can have on young people, both for their mental and physical well-being.
Since launching in 2015, Bags of Help has awarded £67 million to more than 21,000 groups.
Visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp for more.
