07/10/2026
Two evenings a week.
Voluntarily.
And without realising it at the time, I was building the skills, confidence and experiences that would shape the rest of my life.
I joined the Air Training Corps and, from the age of 13, I:
🎯 Took part in marksmanship competitions using live am******on.
🗺️ Used battlefield tactical planning to develop my leadership and decision-making skills.
📻 Gained an amateur radio licence and developed my communication skills.
🏅 Gave up even more of my own time to complete my Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.
📚 Completed a Level 2 BTEC Certificate in a weekend through recognised prior learning — something that could have taken a year in college.
👑 Marched through London from Horse Guards Parade to a garden party at Buckingham Palace — and then did it all again to collect my Gold DofE award!
🏛️ Debated alongside cadets, veterans and serving personnel in the House of Lords.
🛩️ Trained to fly solo in a glider, followed by training to fly solo in a propeller aircraft — completely funded by the Royal Air Force.
And I did all of that while having an absolute blast.
At the time, I didn't think of it as "building my CV".
I was simply taking every opportunity that came my way.
But looking back, I can see just how much those opportunities mattered.
The Air Training Corps helped me become a Police Constable, a Crew Manager in the Fire Service, an Advanced Driving Instructor, an Apprentice Train Driver and, eventually, an Officer Commanding my own Air Cadet Squadron.
Those experiences gave me the skills — and often the answers — I needed for countless scenario-based interviews throughout my career.
That's the power of volunteering and the power of the Cadet Forces.
And that's why I'm now a .
I give my own free time to make sure today's young people have the opportunity to experience the same things I did — and perhaps discover abilities in themselves that they didn't even know they had.
Because sometimes, giving a young person two evenings a week can help shape the next 20 years of their life.
So, this , I'm asking employers to support the adults who make all of this possible.
Will you make and pledge 5 days of paid volunteering leave for employees who are Cadet Force Adult Volunteers?
Five days from an employer could mean countless opportunities for a young person.
Let's invest in the volunteers who invest in our young people.
