SWINDON Air Cadets braved threatening skies to host a fun day celebrating their 75th birthday.

The ATC in the town was one of the first in the country to be formed shortly after the national organisation was born and they wanted to mark the occasion in style.

“We asked the air cadets early on in the year what they wanted to do to celebrate,” said 1244 Sqn commander Flt Lt Ian Kent.

The enthusiastic teenagers came up with two ideas. One was a carnival through Swindon and the other was the fun day.

“We decided to go with the fun day and we have been planning this now for the best part of five months.”

As well as the standard stalls, games and bouncy castles at the squadron’s base in the grounds of Holy Cross School, there were RAF police dogs, birds of prey brought by an ex-cadet, a climbing wall and stands by organisations including Wiltshire Search and Rescue, The Royal British Legion and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

The event was one of several the cadets have taken part in to mark the anniversary. Earlier in the week they joined other units from Dorset and Wiltshire at Stonehenge for a special sunrise ceremony and were able to go into the stone circle.

A year of activity was launched back in February by the Duchess of Cambridge, who is patron of the Air Cadets. She took over the role from the Duke of Edinburgh who retired after 63 years just before Christmas.

The organisation was formed in 1941 with the aim of giving young men aviation skills before they joined the RAF.

“There were lots of squadrons that were founded that year,” explained Flt Lt Kent. “This one was made up of several detached flights in the area.”

“It is more popular now than it ever was. As a movement it is bigger than the RAF.”

“We offer so much. We’re very big on adventure training and we’re the biggest provider of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme,” he said.

As well as sports activities there were regular opportunities to fly and the occasional invitation to go over to Brize Norton and sit in the back of a transport aircraft. “They get to do things that other people don’t.”

The squadron is holding a recruitment night on September 21