Army cadets at the Ely Detachment of Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force in Heaton Drive were treated to a fantastic experience on 27^th January when Sergeant Tom Blakey, a regular army soldier with the world famous Parachute Regiment, made a special trip to talk to them about his work.

Sgt Tom Blakey instructs Cpl Jodi Page (16)

Tom (37), was an army cadet himself prior to joining the army and is now stationed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. He brought along personal equipment including harnesses and actual parachutes to show the cadets what life is like for a ‘para’ on military operations in Afghanistan and also shared his experiences as a member of the world famous Red Devils parachute display team..

 

The youngsters, aged 12 to 18 had the chance to try on the equipment and watched eagerly as a parachute was actually deployed using one of the cadets as a demonstrator - but luckily not from thousands of feet up!

 

“Lots of interesting visitors have spoken to the cadets in the past, but this visit was one of the most exciting yet!” said Detachment Commander Staff Sergeant Instructor Kay Storey. “The cadets and our instructors were surprised at the amount of equipment that a Para carries and it made us appreciate and respect them all the more for what they do. We are grateful to Sgt Blakey for finding the time to come and see us"

 

After watching the presentation Cadet Lance Corporal Simon Allen (17), said: “I am joining the army later this year and looking to join the Parachute Regiment. Watching the videos of Sgt Blakey skydiving was pretty amazing and made me realize that joining the Paras is what I really want to do.”

Cadets learn parachute drills