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Hundreds of young people came together to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar today (Sunday 22 October), at Sea Cadets’ national Trafalgar Day parade.

Four-hundred sea cadets from across the country marched from Horse Guards Parade to Trafalgar Square, where there was a performance by the Massed Bands of the Sea Cadet Corps. There were also flag displays and a physical training performance from cadets, wreath-laying, a parade inspection and a service.

Sea Cadets marks the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar with a parade on Trafalgar Square on the Sunday closest to 21 October every year, in a tradition going back more than 100 years. On that date in 1805, Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the French and Spanish fleets of Cape Trafalgar in South West Spain, losing his life at the height of his most famous victory.

The Captain Sea Cadets, Captain Phil Russell RN, said: “This show-stopping parade is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and passion our cadets and volunteers have invested throughout the year, and we are really proud of them. The day went really well, and you can tell from the smiles on people’s faces that everyone enjoyed themselves.”

Marine Society College has been judged ‘good’ (grade two) by Ofsted across all categories.

The education watchdog carried out an inspection in September, and published its report today (Thursday 19 October). In three years, the Marine Society team has worked hard to take the college from an ‘inadequate’ rating in 2014, to ‘requires improvement’ in 2016, and now a ‘good’ provider.

Inspectors found that: “Leaders and managers have a very clear and well-considered strategy to support seafarers to improve their education and to progress in their careers,” while noting that: “Leaders, managers and staff have taken successful and effective actions to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and the outcomes for learners.”

Other comments included:

 "Staff understand very well the complexities of learning and working at sea and give good advice to learners to help them choose suitable courses."

"Managers have designed and implemented the curriculum very well. Learners have access to a variety of courses that develop the skills they need to become officers in the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy."

"Learners have high aspirations, enjoy their learning and take pride in their work. They produce work of a good standard."

"The vast majority of learners who achieve their qualification remain in employment, secure promotion and/or take up further learning."

Marine Society’s Director of Lifelong Learning, Mark Windsor, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the Marine Society College, for our seafarers and our staff who have supported them. I am so proud of my team and I am grateful to those within the charity and beyond who have supported and encouraged us.”

There was good news on fundraising, a talk from TV historian Dan Snow and a performance from the London Area band at last night's Sea Cadets reception.

The event at Saddlers' Hall, London, celebrated the charity's successful fundraising appeal for it two new yachts, which the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation contributed £200,000 to. As such, it was announced the second yacht will be named "Sir Stelios" after founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

TV historian Dan Snow, a former sea cadet, also gave a talk on his time at Wandsworth Unit, and shared stories of his time offshore.

And London Area's Sea Cadets band impressed guests with a 10-minute performance, which can be viewed on our Facebook page.

Sea Cadets will today (Friday 15 September) help launch its new RS Zest dinghy at Southampton Boat Show, opening up exciting opportunities on the water to more young people.

The dinghy was designed by RS Sailing, in consultation with Sea Cadets, and builds on the success of the RS Quest dinghy that was unveiled in 2015. Sea Cadets will be match-funding 100 dinghies for units, ensuring no one misses out on securing the new addition. The charity currently has a fleet of 7,800 boats, 2,500 of which are sailing dinghies, and working with RS Sailing will allow Sea Cadets to reduce the burden of maintenance and repair. This means volunteers can focus on the delivery of safe, fun and challenging nautical adventure.

Units with limited access to water will benefit from the design, as RS Zest can operate in shallower water. They have grown from the RS Quests, with both sharing many of the same design features.

Tye Shuttleworth, Head of Inshore Boating at Sea Cadets, said: “We are delighted to help launch the new RS Zest dinghy, which will create an even better sailing experience for our cadets.  RS Sailing is the leader in this field, and working with them is a fantastic opportunity for the Sea Cadets. We look forward to seeing the RS Zest in action, and hope they help inspire even more young people to get out on the water.”

We are delighted to announce that Sea Cadets' National Citizen Service pilot is in with the chance of winning a prestigious award.

The scheme was piloted by the charity in four of our six areas last year, and now we have been shortlisted in the National Citizen Service Award category at the Children & Young People Now Awards 2017.

The awards will be held in London in November, and have become the gold standard for everyone working with children, young people and families. Now in their 12th year, these awards offer an opportunity to raise the profile of projects and initiatives to funders and the general public.

Fifty-eight cadets aged between 15 and 17 and from a range of backgrounds took part in the scheme, learning vital life skills along the way. Five NCS pilots were run between September and December in the London, South-West, North and North-West areas.