Vorderman wins award for helping high-flyers of future
CAROL VORDERMAN has always been a high-flyer – and she has now scooped an award for working with youngsters in the Royal Air Force.
Vorderman, 56, received the Lennox-Boyd Trophy while meeting “inspiring” young air cadets at RAF Syerston in Nottinghamshire yesterday.
The former star of Countdown during its long production run in Leeds, dressed in a khaki boiler suit topped with a navy beret, is credited with boosting the profile of aviation careers.
The mother of two, who has her private pilot’s licence and a plane called Mildred, is an honorary group captain and ambassador of the RAF Air Cadets.
Girls were first allowed to join the cadets in the early 1980s – and today around one third are female.
After the honour was presented by the Aircraft Owners’ and Pilots’ Association (AOPA), Vorderman said she hoped to encourage more teens into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.
She said: “I am delighted to be receiving this award from AOPA in front of the next generation of young aviators at the Air Cadet Aerospace Camp.
“The Air Cadets is an inspiring youth organisation ... and with the help of adult volunteers, delivers fantastic STEM opportunities for young people across the country each year.”
There are almost 41,000 air cadets aged from 12 to 19 in the UK. For more information about signing up, visit www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets.