TS St Vincent - Brentwood Sea Cadet Unit
Front row from left to right; Rob Doyle, Chairman Brentwood Sea Cadet Unit, Michael Wren, The Master - David Laxton, Commander James T Nisbet VR, Lt Cdr.Barry Sicklemore RNR, Ian Spring, Richard Martin, Nigel Heilpern, Sub Lt. Samantha Hayward, Commanding Officer Brentwood Sea Cadet Unit
It has been over two years since the Bowyers’ have had the opportunity to visit our Sea Cadet Unit in Brentwood due to the ongoing restrictions caused by the COVID pandemic.Happily this was rectified on 28th April when the Master and four other members of the Company were able to visit TS St. Vincent in Brentwood on the evening of their Royal Naval Support Visit.
We were warmly greeted by the Commanding Officer Sub Lieutenant Samantha Hayward and the Chairman Mr Rob Doyle prior to the arrival of the Assessing Officer Commander James T Nisbet VR who was accompanied by the District Officer Lt Cdr Barry Sickelmore RNR.
After the official piping on board and the raising of Colours Commander Nesbit inspected the Cadets and spoke to each individually giving words of encouragement to all those present – and incredibly smart they all were turned out. Afterwards the Bowyers accompanied the official Navy contingent on a tour of the classes the Cadets were taking part in that evening when we had the opportunity to speak directly to some of those who had benefited from the help our Company had given them in offshore sailing experience over the past few years.
The final official part of the evening was when Commander Nesbit, who by the way is the current Chairman of Broad Street Ward Club and also a Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers’, addressed the Ship’s Company and made presentations to individual award winners.
In summary our affiliated Unit is in very good health with numbers on the increase and a waiting list of young people in the Brentwood area hopefully being signed up in the coming months.
Michael Wren
Postscript
Apple-Jane Hayward BEM with Michael Wren onboard TS Royalist moored alongside at HMS President.
Two weeks after our visit to Brentwood I was invited to The Worshipful Company of Educators Annual Military Lecture on HMS President where the theme of the evening was cadet units. There were three very impressive speakers one of which was Apple-Jane Hayward from our very own affiliated unit in Brentwood. You may remember that Apple-Jane was awarded to British Empire Medal in the Queens Birthday Honours last year for her sterling work in the community during the first period of lockdown. Her address was warmly received by all those present and in it she specifically mentioned the Bowyers’ Company and how it had helped her to become more confident especially through the offshore sailing she had been able to take part in with our help. Moored alongside was the Sea Cadet vessel TS ROYALIST and after the talk Apple- Jane gave a few guided tours further expanding on the time she had spent on board.
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