As Commanding Officer of 649 Squadron, I am fortunate to be able to volunteer some of my time in order to spend it with cadets. Seeing the different activities that are available to youngsters just by becoming Air Cadets is unbelievable. There are so many sports and activities such as Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, adventure training and canoeing, as well as the opportunity to gain valuable recognised qualifications in aviation and public services.

The fundraising activities we carry out have been going well, however there are still a couple of activities still to complete before the end of the year.  Frampton Country Fair is coming up this month, as is the third leaflet drop for the Cam parish Council, so it is hoped that we can call upon as many cadets, staff and Civilian Committee members as possible to assist.

There is still time to apply to do the B/TEC in public services if you are eligible to do so; if you are 16 and want to gain additional qualifications, please speak to one of the staff, or Mr May who is the B/TEC Officer as soon as possible.

The Duke of Edinburgh awards have stalled at the moment due to changes in the rules for expeditions; as soon as these are cleared up; we hope to be able to move forward.  This does not stop the award from running; in fact the cadets are being encouraged to cover the rest of the award sections to gain certificates on completion of each section. 

The Squadron 2010 Winter Ball planning is well underway with a confirmed date of 27 November 2010, as chosen by the cadets in one of the Squadron Polls.
Letters of invitation have been sent out with a return slip which will allow us to get an indication of numbers wishing to attend.  We are in discussion with the Hotel regarding a Christmas themed menu and this should be available before the end of September for people to select meal choices.  If you wish to book a room for the night so that you do not have to drive, please let us know and we will see how many rooms we can reserve.  Please support this event in the same way you have in previous years; if you want to start booking early and pay in instalments, we are happy to arrange this for you.  Speak to the Adjt for more information.

Additionally, with next year being the 70th Anniversary of the Squadron and the ATC, plans are already afoot for an anniversary Ball with a proposed date of Saturday 3rd September 2010.  The plan is that this one will be bigger and better than ever before.

We have been approached by a number of people who have shown an interest in helping or joining the Squadron as staff members; two of them being ex cadets from Dursley and Lydney, whilst one is an ex naval Fleet Air Arm member who served as the RN band master for a number of years, and last but not least, a music teacher who is very interested in filling the role of musical director for the Squadron Band. 
I have formally requested permission from Headquarters Air Cadets (HQAC) to form a Squadron Band, and we are currently awaiting the answer.  In the meantime the cadets and staff who will be forming the nucleus of the Band are looking at booking rehearsals in the hope that they could be ready to have its first official engagement at the upcoming Christmas Ball!  

To summarise, we are continually moving forward with activities being planned for the cadets to take part in, and for different social events to get everyone involved.  There are already plans for the Squadron to make a big impression within the local community over the next eighteen months, so watch this space and support all of the activities we hope to participate in.  Over the coming months we will see some major changes on how the ATC carry out the classification training; we are determined to have everything in place to ensure a smooth transition from the old to the new, and this may mean changing the way that the Squadron currently do business; there will be more information provided as plans become firmer, but the cadet training will continue during this time.