Award honour
NICK HUGHES
ACOMMUNITY volunteer has revealed her shock after learning she will be honoured with a special award.
Carol Paton, 44, will receive the Lord Lieutenant award on June 15 for her services to the 1969 (Rossendale) Squadron Air Cadets, where she is flight sergeant.
Carol, who served for over eight years in the RAF and has led the squadron for two years since transferring from Burnley, said: “I got an email from the wing commander saying I was getting the award, and I was like ‘oh my god, I can’t believe it!
“It’s a certificate of ●● Carol Paton merit. It’s for the work we’ve done at the squadron because the squadron’s numbers were low when I took over.
“It’s still quite a shock. It’s still settling in. The event is apparently quite a big deal.”
Carol’s husband Colin, 52, is also involved in the cadets, which are based at Olive Terrace, off Burnley Road in Rawtenstall.
The mother-of-two said she has fond memories of the RAF: “I did supplies and logistics. It was real life, like a family, because everyone was there for you. The skills I learned were really important.
“It was like a big career and I’m still doing logistics now and the RAF set me up for my career.”
Carol, who spent five years in the cadets with Burnley before joining Rossendale, says she enjoys what she does because it continues her RAF roots but also because she sees children progress with vital skills.
She said: “I enjoy everything, seeing young teenagers progress from shy little kids and going on to get careers with the skills we’ve taught them, like working together and discipline.
“I don’t get involved in drills because I’m mainly in the office but I do the Duke of Edinburgh and get involved when I can.
“I enjoy watching the first aid and getting involved in that. I’m usually the casualty and I make them jump.
“I go for it on the acting. I make it really realistic for them.”
Carol, from Burnley, also said she was proud of the squadron’s performance at the wing training day, where they placed eighth out of 33 regional squadrons. She said: “It was brilliant.” AN organisation has congratulated its newest members for passing their first aid qualifications.
The 1969 (Rossendale) Squadron Air Cadets saw seven of its cadets, including six new recruits, achieve the feat, which forms part of their basic training.
Simon Venguedadalon, a civilian instructor with the squadron for 14 months, said new cadets, called ‘C-Flight’, carry out first aid training together as soon as possible.
He said: “These are the first recruits to do it this year and we train to get all of the cadets through first aid. Everybody on the squadron is a first aider. ●● The cadets with their first aid certificates
“We get them started straight away and on how to use a defibrillator and CPR also.
“From that, they go on to first aid over a weekend at the squadron. We tend to stay away from trauma training for new recruits.”
As a testament to the squadron’s skills, the Rossendale youngsters came third out of 33 squadrons in the Cumbria and Lancashire region at the 2017 Wing Training Day, with competitions including shooting and marching.
The squadron, which has 36 cadets, is open to new recruits. Anyone interested should email 1969@aircadets.org