Harborough cadets call for temporary new home as current building undergoes renovation

Air cadets are urgently seeking a temporary new home after discovering their current premises are set to be renovated.

The some 50 cadets and seven staff at 1084 Market Harborough Sqn RAF Air Cadets have been based in a building behind the leisure centre on Northampton Road since 1991.

Training officer Liam Wale says the building has been mostly untouched since then, but when building work starts at the end of January it will be converted into open plan, modern design which will allow more cadets to join its forces.

The upgrades are set to take between three and six months, and in the meantime the cadets are without somewhere to meet.

Liam said: “Once remodelled the space will allow up to 100 cadets over three nights a week to have access to excellent facilities - so although this is an incredibly stressful time due to the extremely short notice, we are excited for what the future brings for the unit.

“In the last 12 months, we have doubled in size, and are growing all the time, so this refurbishment is just what we need to make the unit as efficient as possible.”

The cadets – a charitable organisation - are looking for a temporary space with capacity for up to 60 people, a kitchen, outdoor room for marching practice, a hall space and extra rooms for different activities.

Liam added: “At present and including our small staff team of seven, we have just shy of 60 individuals on the books, with cadets from Market Harborough as well as across southern Leicestershire and north Northamptonshire.

“We have been informed at short notice that our building is due for refurbishment at the end of this month, leaving us very little time to source an interim building. We would be immensely grateful for any support assisting us in this.

“We are a charitable organisation and may have to fund interim facilities ourselves - essentially using money fundraised by Cadets and our Civilian Committee. To that end, we are subject to quite tight budgetary constraints.”

If you think you may have a premises which the cadets could use, please email [email protected] or call 07484 294387.