A North West Ambulance Service duty officer has marked more than 22 years of involvement with the Air Cadets, a connection that began with a squadron linked to Kendal and continues to influence his work in the ambulance service.
Simon Walton joined 2192 (Appleby Grammar School) Squadron, Air Training Corps, in May 2002. North West Ambulance Service highlighted his story as part of National Cadets Week, which celebrates colleagues who have either been cadets themselves or later supported young people in the organisation.
From cadet to senior volunteer
Six years after joining as a cadet, Walton became a cadet force adult volunteer and took on the role of a non-commissioned officer. In 2010, he was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch), beginning a further stage of his cadet career.
His later roles included training officer, squadron adjutant and squadron commander. He subsequently became a wing staff officer with responsibility for health and safety and child protection across Cumbria and Lancashire Wing. In that position, he was a subject matter expert and contact for about 1,500 cadets and cadet force adult volunteers.
Walton is now a duty officer at NWAS and co-chair of its Armed Forces Network. The ambulance service said skills and qualifications developed through the Air Cadets continue to support his work, including teaching, health and safety, leadership, people management and decision-making.
Skills carried into ambulance service work
A teaching qualification gained through the cadets is now used to train NWAS colleagues, including new staff and people completing specialist training. He also completed health and safety training at RAF Cranwell, knowledge he draws on as a health and safety representative and one of the trust’s safety officers.
“The cadets gave me a lot of transferable skills and qualifications. I still use many of them in my role at NWAS today.”
For Walton, however, the most important part of volunteering has been watching young people develop. He described seeing cadets grow in confidence, gain qualifications and progress into civilian or military careers as one of the best experiences of his time with the organisation.
“One of the best experiences was seeing the cadets gain confidence, achieve qualifications and go on to have successful civilian or military careers.”
Memories from a long association
Walton’s Air Cadet service has included meeting the late Queen while he was squadron commander at Kendal and attending national drill and ceremonial camps.
He also took part in the 75th anniversary of the Air Training Corps’ formation at RAF Cranwell. About 400 cadets and adult volunteers attended a week of training before joining a ceremonial parade with a marching band.
The experience, he said, showed what young people can achieve when they are given opportunities to learn, work together and challenge themselves.
“The level of teamwork, determination and creativity that the cadets have never failed to amaze me.”
After more than two decades, the organisation has given Walton lasting friendships, qualifications and memories, as well as the satisfaction of seeing the next generation achieve more than they may have thought possible.