2531 Burnham-On-Crouch Detached Flight ATC

08/06/2026

At our monthly OC’s Parade we presented awards for the Blue Space syllabus, as well as Leading and Senior cadet classifications and Sgt. Vincent received her Silver Radio badge;
our Cadet of the month was Cadet Maas.

Following an NCO promotion interview process in May we made the following promotions:
Cadet Southern is now appointed to Corporal
Corporal Vincent is now appointed Sergeant and Sergeant Parrish is now appointed Flight Sergeant.

Altum Ferri

04/05/2026

Ahead of the Bank Holiday break, cadets, recruits and staff from 2531DF attended Essex Fire & Rescue’s Burnham-on-Crouch Fire Station - arranged by ex-FS George Kennedy who is now an on-call firefighter based there.
Our recruitment window is still open, our next parade night is Thursday 7th May at 19:15 at Burnham Baptist Church.

Split into two groups they were shown around the station’s two appliances, including all the equipment they carry, learnt about the types of calls the crews attend and how the station operates.

The cadets were then given the opportunity to operate the water hoses; surprisingly no staff or cadets got wet!

We would like to thank Steve, Dan and George for taking the time to show us around.

If you live and work in Burnham, Essex Fire & Rescue are always on the lookout for potential on-call crew, details here - https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/recruitment/on-call

If you want to volunteer with the RAF Air Cadets, information can be found here - https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/volunteers1/being-a-volunteer/

14/04/2026

Last night our cadets planned our next recruitment open evening and also took the opportunity to practice some of the ‘soft skills’ that we teach, presenting and public speaking, by hosting an inter-flight debate and proposing what the best RAFAC uniform is.
Our recruitment open evening will be on Thursday 16th April at Burnham Baptist Church from 19:45; potential recruits and their parents and siblings are all welcome.

Our cadets will show you just some of the activities that we do on the unit and tell you about those we do across the organisation; they may even tell you what uniform choice won the debate!

06/04/2026

The DF is closed for the Easter break and we thought we’d keep you up to date with recent activity.

Thanks to the Indy Bakery who generously donated some of their test baking a few weeks ago; needless to say there was no waste and very good reviews!

Ahead of the Falklands Competition in June, our cadets have been practicing some of the disciplines included in the event such as first aid, casualty evacuation, and pictured in this post, the field gun race. On that note, we currently have to borrow the ‘gun’ from our parent unit; if there are any local engineering firms or fabricators that could make a replica, we can then have our own and also run a head to head race at the Carnival this year!

We also had a visit from Essex Police where the cadets learned about the role of the Police and the different incidents that they are involved with. They also completed a quiz activity, had an open Q&A and got to use and see some of the equipment officers carry.

We were closed on Maundy Thursday but held a staff & NCO team meeting to discuss and plan the months ahead.

Finally, we did some camouflage and concealment exercises, how many cadets can you see in the final picture!

Our next recruitment intake evening is on Thursday 16th April from 19:45-21:00 at the Burnham Baptist Church; potential recruits and their parents and siblings are welcome to attend. You must be in at least year 8 to join. We will have another intake at the beginning of October for those going up to Year 8 in September.

16/03/2026

On Thursday 12th March we held our Annual Presentation Evening where our cadets and their parents and siblings were joined by Deputy Lieutenant Charles Anderson DL as our guest of honour to present the awards.

We had a table heaving with over 70 awards and trophies but the first order of business was to enrol our newest cadets. Following their undertaking of the Cadet Promise, the Deputy Lieutenant was introduced to each cadet and welcomed to the organisation.

Following their enrolment we presented:
13 First Aid qualifications, including two Bronze awards
11 First Class Cadet qualifications
11 Blue Radio qualifications
10 Foundation (Blue) Leadership qualifications
12 Bronze space studies awards
1 Silver space studies award
1 Presentation skills award
1 Master Cadet qualification
2 Instructor Cadet qualifications
2 Bronze Duke Of Edinburgh awards

The winners of the 2025 trophy awards were:
The David Rawlings Trophy for Recruit of the Year - Cadet Robertson
CWO Trophy for NCO of the Year - Corporal Vincent
SNCO Trophy - Cadet Hammond
Commanding Officer’s Trophy - Cadet Southern
Flight of the Year - Spitfire
Cadet of the Year - Corporal Vincent

Following FS Dunk and Kennedy ‘ageing out’, Cadet Turner was promoted to Corporal and Sergeant Hall was promoted to Flight Sergeant.

Finally a special presentation was made to ex-FS Dunk, not only to acknowledge her over 7 years of service, but to recognise her achievement of being part of the Three Flying Fish that recently became one of the youngest teams to row the Atlantic and raised over £57k (to date) for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Onwards then to 2026 where we are already outperforming last year. If you are in year 8 or above and want to join us, our next recruitment intake night is on Thursday 16th April from 19:45-21:00 at the Burnham Baptist Church; potential recruits along with their parents and siblings are welcome to attend to find out more.

Well done to all our cadets!

06/03/2026

Last night, Sgt. Parrish accepted his Cadet of the Month award for January and also his instructor cadet certificate and lanyard as he is off to the States and will miss next week’s annual presentation evening.
We also said a fond farewell to Flight Sergeant Anna Dunk who ages out after serving 7 years, 4 months and 15 days in the RAF Air Cadets.
FS Dunk was a serving cadet when she and two ex-cadets recently rowed the Atlantic as the ‘Three Flying Fish’ becoming the youngest team of three to achieve this feat and raising over £57k to date for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The RAF Air Cadets offers young people the chance to experience unique opportunities and equip them with skills to achieve their goals and aspirations (and rowing expeditions!).
Our annual presentation evening, celebrating our Cadets’ achievements in 2025, is next week, and our next recruitment intake is in April - be part of the Next Generation.

Thank you FS Dunk.

28/02/2026

Our cadets are at the South Mill Arts Centre in Bishops Stortford tonight for the Essex Wing Presentation Evening.
Over 250 cadets and staff, along with VIP guests, are gathered to celebrate the Wing’s collective achievements last year.

05/02/2026

Happy Birthday to us!
The organisation was formed 85 years ago today.
Venture Adventure

A Royal tribute to 85 years of "Venture Adventure"! ✉️👑

We are immensely honoured to share this special message from our Royal Honorary Air Commandant, HRH The Princess of Wales, marking the 85th Anniversary of the Air Training Corps.

In her letter, Her Royal Highness recognises the tireless dedication of our adult volunteers and permanent staff since the Corps' formation in 1941. This Royal commendation is a testament to the spirit and standards upheld by every unit across the UK and overseas.

25/01/2026

Congratulations to Flight Sergeant Anna Dunk who along with ex-CWO Rowan Dally and ex-Sergeant Harry Allan have just become the youngest team to row the Atlantic and raised money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
So, so proud of them and what they have achieved.

Venture Adventure

25/12/2025

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