CHESTER Sea Cadets rowed 222 miles to raise funds for their national training ship yet never left dry land.

That’s because the group teamed up with Grosvenor Rowing Club to use their rowing machines for a sponsored row to generate cash for Sea Cadet training ship, TS Royalist.

Every Sea Cadet unit in the country was invited to take part in the sponsored ‘row around the world’ event.

Chester’s Deva unit smashed its 70-mile target in the first hour of the allotted time and went on to row an impressive 222 miles in total – further than rowing to London.

This was the second big success for TS Deva recently. A few weeks ago this stand-alone disciplined youth charity, which is managed under the umbrella of the National Sea Cadet organisation, came out of its inspection with glowing colours.

A unit review is made annually but this year was also the biannual Royal Naval Parade (RNP). Every aspect of the unit was inspected including paperwork and administration, uniform stores, the management and running of the committee as well as the cadets themselves.

This was a formal occasion with Commander Mark Irwin arriving to conduct the RNP while Councillor Hilarie McNae also came along to find out more about the cadets’ activities.

Chester Sea Cadets, open to boys and girls aged between 10 and 18, has been in existence for more than 70 years. They parade twice weekly for forty-eight weeks in the year, the cadets sail weekly for six-months of the year, they undertake many courses and gain nationally-recognised qualifications such as Duke of Edinburgh and Royal Yachting Association awards.

IF YOU would like to know more about Chester Sea Cadets, or you would like to make a donation, please call 07851 196635.