A cold night, a warm welcome

A cold February evening is not the night for boating on the Thames. But it was very much the right night to be at TS Euryalus, home of the Oxford unit of the Sea Cadets.

With the weather keeping everyone firmly ashore, cadets, volunteers, families and supporters gathered for the Unit’s annual awards evening – a chance to pause, take stock, and celebrate just how much has been achieved over the past year. And what an impressive roll call it was.

The evening was lifted further by a brilliant demonstration from members of the Unit band, showcasing not only their musical ability but also their drill and bearing. Precision, confidence and teamwork were on full display – a reminder that Sea Cadets develop creativity and discipline side by side, and that excellence comes in many forms.

I was delighted to present a range of awards recognising both individual progress and collective effort: BTEC qualifications in leadership, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award awards, and trophies marking milestones such as Most Improved Cadet, Best Turned Out, and sustained commitment over time. These moments matter. They recognise not just talent, but perseverance, teamwork, and the quiet discipline that uniformed youth organisations do so well.

The highlight of the evening, though, was the presentation of the Sea Cadet Unit Burgee – a genuinely prestigious award and the highest annual honour a Sea Cadet unit can receive. Awarded only to units demonstrating outstanding efficiency, it recognises excellence across training quality, safety, leadership, governance, and operational standards. It reflects the hard work of cadets and the dedication of adult volunteers alike, and it signals top-tier performance across everything the unit does.

Some units manage to earn this distinction repeatedly. That alone tells you something about the culture required to reach – and sustain – that standard.

Standing in that hall, on a crisp winter evening, it was impossible not to feel the very real and tangible impact of organisations like the Sea Cadets. This is youth work with structure, purpose and ambition. It builds confidence, skills and a sense of belonging. It asks a great deal of young people – and gives a great deal back in return.

As High Sheriff, I spend a great deal of time talking about early intervention, prevention, and listening to the young unheard. Evenings like this bring those ideas vividly to life. Uniformed youth organisations are not abstract policy solutions – they are lived experiences, week in and week out, in places like TS Euryalus.

Cold outside. Warm inside. And a unit with every reason to be proud.