On the evening of Friday 30th January, we held our annual Presentation Evening, celebrating an outstanding year of achievement throughout 2025.
We were honoured to be joined by our special guests, OC Essex Wing, Wing Commander Jones, and the Essex Wing Warrant Officer, WO Kemp, alongside parents, families and friends who continue to support our cadets week in, week out.
Proceedings were opened by Cpl Solomon, who gave a fantastic performance of Feeling Good by Nina Simone, which accompanied by a video montage showcasing just some of the many activities our cadets took part in during 2025. A powerful and fitting start to an evening.
The evening also featured cadet presentations from Cdt Kent, Cpl Raffay, Cdt Adedoyin and FS Atkins (now CI Atkins), who spoke confidently about their experiences on camps, courses and throughout their RAFAC journey, highlighting the opportunities and personal development the organisation offers.
Across the year, our cadets have taken part in flying and gliding, camps, DofE, adventure training, band, drill, shooting, sports, community volunteering and leadership activities, and the awards presented reflected the incredible breadth of effort shown by so many.
“Tonight is about more than awards. It is about the commitment, resilience and teamwork our cadets show throughout the year. I am incredibly proud of what they have achieved and grateful to our staff and parents who make these opportunities possible.”
Flt Lt Busby OC Squadron
🏆 Award Winners 2025
- Most Promising Recruit
Winner: Cdt Coles-Freeman - Best Exam Performance
Winner: Sgt Stanford - Esprit de Corps
Winner: Cdt Russell - Rotary Cup for Best DofE Achievement
Winner: FS Atkins - Smartest Male Cadet
Winner: Sgt Irons - Smartest Female Cadet
Winner: Cdt Wilkinson - Sports Cadet of the Year (Male)
Winner: Sgt Herman - Sports Cadet of the Year (Female)
Winner: Cpl Ahmad - Leadership Award
Winner: Cpl Whybrow - Band Newcomer
Winner: Cdt Kent - Overall Band Award
Winner: Cpl Solomon - Nijmegen Trophy
Winner: Cdt Magnurson - CWO’s Award
Winner: Cpl Solomon - Staff Award
Winner: APO Whybrow - Cadet of the Year
Winner: FS Atkins - Inter-Flight Drill (Anderson Shield)
1st Place: A Flight
2nd Place: C Flight
3rd Place: B Flight
A sincere thank you to Wing Commander Jones and WO Kemp for presenting awards and addressing the squadron, to our parents for their continued support, and to our staff and volunteers who give so much of their time to make evenings like this possible.
We are incredibly proud of every cadet at the Squadron and look forward to another exciting year ahead.
