THE Royal Navy is both modern and traditional and these two valuable qualities were on display in the Valleys and Vale this week. The first big event was the parade through Stroud and church service in St Laurence's for Sea Cadets in Gloucestershire (Severn). The Sea Cadets were established during the time of the Crimean War.
The Stroud Sea Cadets under the inspiring and devoted leadership of Petty Officer Paul White performed perfectly. The parade through the town with other local units demonstrated teamwork, attention to detail and individual pride.
The Sea Cadets offer a huge range of activities for young people including sailing, adventure training and youth activities. Find out more on www.sea-cadets.org/stroud.
Another Navy event, was the Stroud Naval Association's annual Trafalgar Dinner held in King's Stanley Village Hall. Again, several Sea Cadets played a big part towards the success of the evening but all generations were represented, illustrating the strong bond sailors have with each other. Lord Nelson's victory at Trafalgar against the combined naval fleets of France and Spain was a turning point in our nation's history.
I will be dining on HMS Belfast, now moored on the Thames as a floating museum, for another Trafalgar-related event. This ship was a light cruiser, serving in the Second World War and afterwards in Korea and the Far East. At 11,000 tonnes, it had powerful guns, up to two aircraft complete with hanger until 1945 and a compliment of up to 880.
Turning to Stroud General Hospital, the Stroud League of Friends organised the annual Hospital Service in Holy Trinity, Stroud, to celebrate the Stroud Hospitals and to recognise the chaplains. It was an enjoyable event.
The league works extremely effectively and we should all be grateful to David Miller and his team for their tireless work, amounting to the impressive fact that, over the last decade, almost £1million has been spent by the league on new equipment.
If you are interested in the issues raised above, please contact me on 01453 751572 or visit my website – www.neilcarmichael.co.uk. Now, you can also follow me on twitter @neil_mp .