Newark and District Air Cadets were formed during the turmoil of the Second World War and have developed to become a youth group relevant to the 21st century giving the youth of today, the confidence for tomorrow.

Flight Lieutenant Nick Squire, Commanding Officer at Newark Air Cadets, said: “We are all thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund. Our group was formed in 1941 and has operated continuously since then. During this period hundreds of young people have participated and have gone on to play a significant role in society both locally and nationally. We want to capture their experiences, learn from these and use them to inspire today’s generation of Air Cadets.”

1260 Squadron Newark and District Air Cadets are being supported to deliver the project by Newark and Sherwood Museum Service, the Newark Advertiser and the Magnus Church of England School, Newark, which is where the air cadet group first met in Newark.

Current Air Cadet Sergeant, Amy Moir, said: “It will be good to find out what activities air cadets used to get involved with and to see how things have changed. Meeting and interviewing former cadets will be interesting and we can’t wait to get started.”

Jack Oliver was one of the first air cadets in Newark, joining the squadron in 1941. Jack commented, “I’m looking forward to meeting the current air cadets and seeing how different it is today to when I joined. Then the county was at war, Ransome and Marles in Newark had been bombed and the Air Cadets organisation was very much about preparing young people for a career in the RAF.”

1260 Squadron (Newark and District) Air Cadets meet at the cadet centre, Sherwood Avenue, Newark every Tuesday and Thursday evening. In addition, there are activities taking place most weekends and during school holidays. Young people are encouraged to join Newark and District Air Cadets from the age of 13 onwards and there is a very wide range of activities available for cadets to participate in. These include flying, gliding, adventure training camps, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, BTEC qualifications, Sport and much more.

Further information is available at Newark Air Cadet's website and anyone with a connection to Newark Air Cadets is asked to get in contact and share their memories.

Note to editors

1260 Squadron (Newark and District) Air Cadets were formed in 1941 and have operated continuously in Newark since that date. The squadron is run entirely by volunteers and has an average of 60 air cadets at any one time, boys and girls aged 13 –19.

Further information

Heritage Lottery Fund press office: Robert Smith on 020 7591 6245, email: roberts@hlf.org.uk.

1260 Squadron (Newark and District) Air Cadets: Dave Holmes, Media Officer on 07584 675 407, email: david.holmes7@live.co.uk.