02/06/2026
This week is national volunteers week.
TS Duchess is run purely by volunteers.
Cadets may parade 2 nights a week and then go away on the odd course here and there, but thats not where the volunteers work ends. There are constant emails, phone calls, messages between unit staff, district staff, the wider sea cadet family, the committee. The list goes on. This is all while holding down full time jobs, families and outside hobbies. There are many 11pm phone calls, phone calls from hospitals, emails and phone calls during work or holidays.
Being a volunteer is the hardest, most thankless task. Everything done in the shadows. Honestly... it can be utterly exhausting. Some people question why we do it... we do it for that buzz when you see a cadet go through adversity and come out the other side. You do it for that cadet that doesn't fit in else where. You do it to give these cadets an opportunity that they never would have been given a chance to do.
So thank you to all the volunteers who help make TS Duchess what it is. A fantastic place for cadets and adults to develop.
