Young cadets in Swadlincote have been given a welcome boost from a rail maintenance firm as they continue to embrace new opportunities.
MTMS has donated £750 to the 1211 Squadron RAF Cadets as it continues to show its support and commitment to the Armed Forces community and educating young people.
The cheque was presented by Malcolm Prentice, group chairman of MTMS, based in Moira, near Swadlincote, and comes as the successful Swadlincote squadron looks to move to bigger facilities due to the expanding number of recruits.
Mr Prentice, who routinely visits the squadron, said: “Supporting the Armed Forces community is at the heart of MTMS and the young people are the future. We want to support them in any way we can and hopefully this donation will help them going forward.
“It’s always rewarding to support the local community and the RAF Air Cadets do an excellent job for the young people of Swadlincote. They provide a magnificent service and we all benefit.
“We all know that 1211 RAF Air Cadet squadron is successful and due to space requirements, is looking to move within the town and MTMS will look to assist in any way we can.
“MTMS has always supported the youth community and two of our team are involved with cadets across Derbyshire.”
The 1211 Squadron has been in the centre of Swadlincote for more than 80 years providing training to young people aged between 12 and 18.
The cadets learn technical skills such as navigation, team leading and first aid as well as make the most of experiences like glider flights. It is based on the RAF cadet syllabus.
Squadron leader Ruth Morgan, the officer commanding the cadet squadron, said: “Being part of the community is really important to us and MTMS has been part of our Swadlincote support network for many years.
“It’s great to have old friends like MTMS back to visit us and we were delighted with the MTMS donation which will help with the costs of the varied training opportunities we give our young people.
“Due to our continued success, we are looking to move from the Eureka Park site as we have almost a hundred cadets and we need more facilities and more space. We are looking for a new site right now.”
MTMS currently services and maintains rolling stock and specialist equipment, as well as carrying abroad range of infrastructure projects, at more than a half of the UK’s rail depots, with its central location in Moira, helping it to serve customers as far afield as Penzance and Aberdeen.
MTMS advertises itself as a pro-military employer and has been awarded Silver Defence Employer Recognition status for its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a nationwide pledge to acknowledge and understand the need to treat current and former members of the Armed Forces and their families with fairness and respect.
