News
February 16th 2021
Sea Cadet Climbs Mount Everest in Lockdown
Mount Everest
Junior Cadet First Class Oliver Flint (11) utilised his free time through lockdown in an expedition to raise money for Burton Sea Cadets, by climbing the equivalent of the height of Mount Everest, 8843 metres.
When Cadets’ face to face training was brought to a standstill, Oliver Flint used the set back to his advantage. Oliver signed up for the Virtual Everest Challenge and had 12 weeks to scale the 8843 metres in any way he chose.
Every weekend, Oliver would travel to the vast hills of the Peak District or Derbyshire Dales on the hunt for mountains that he could conquer with his father.
Oliver’s favourite mountain of choice became ‘Kinder Scout’, at 636 metres above sea level, the highest point in the Peak District and the highest point in the East Midlands.
On days of poor weather, Oliver didn’t rest. He turned to the stairs at home, all adding to the elevation gain.
Oliver completed the challenge with three weeks to spare!
Junior Cadet First Class Oliver Flint
On the 31st December 2020 Oliver completed his challenge, with three weeks to spare. He raised over £200 for the Sea Cadets Charity, of which half will go to the Burton Sea Cadets unit and the other to the Sea Cadets Emergency Appeal, to help support Cadets and units across the UK recover from the financial pressures of COVID-19.
Commanding Officer of Burton Sea Cadets, Judith Mitchell commented: “I’m a very proud CO. I’m really happy our Cadets are still engaging in Sea Cadet activities. This challenge was something to get Cadets outside with the family (weather permitting) doing something other than sitting in front of a screen.”
Oliver spoke to us about his time in the Cadets: “I enjoy going to Sea Cadets because there are always fun activities to do and learn. I love kayaking on the river. Now we are in lockdown I join in with the virtual sessions so I still see my friends and complete modules towards my badges. My favourite memory of Sea Cadets is when I got to go on a trip to the HMS Queen Elizabeth, it was amazing to be able to go and look around it! I think everyone should join the Sea Cadets as it gives you the chance to do things you don’t normally do and give you skills for life.”
If you would like to help Sea Cadets that have been impacted by the financials pressures of COVID-19, please donate here: https://www.sea-cadets.org/donate
If you are interested in joining the Cadets, or becoming a Cadet Force Adult Volunteer, you can find out more here: https://eastmidlandsrfca.co.uk/cadet-organisations/
"I think everyone should join the Sea Cadets as it gives you the chance to do things you don’t normally do and give you skills for life.” - Sea Cadet, Oliver Flint
