The
Air Training Corps is perhaps the major operator of the Duke oEdinburgh's
Award Scheme, and it has been operated on 1803 squadron
for
a number of years.
Recent
successes at Gold level include former CWO (now
Police
Constable) Robert Gibbs, former CWO Amy Heavey and former WO
Rachael
Wood who completed their expedition in 1998 in the Lake District and attended
a Royal Palace presentation a year later.
The Scheme is in three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold, and cadets start working for their Bronze Award on their 14th birthday. They are required to participate in sport, undertake an expedition with camping and show proficiency at certain skills. This is repeated at a higher standard for silver and culminate in a still higher standard to achieve Gold.
A major part of the Award is Service: The Squadron members can be seen on the street each year prior to the Battle of Britain Parade selling flags to mark the event. They then attend a parade on Battle of Britain Sunday, in the evening when a parade is held at the parish church of St. Mary in Hucknall.
Similarly, the Squadron supports the local branch of the Royal British Legion by assisting with the sale of poppies in the days leading up to Remembrance Sunday, then taking a leading part in the parade to the Cenotaph in Hucknall. The squadron has for a number of years, provided the guard of honour for the Cenotaph, and has frequently supplied an officer to take the salute on the march past which follows the service at the cenotaph.