Scottish Parliament salutes the Cadet Movement
24 March 2010
The Scottish Parliament recognised the work of the Cadet Forces in a special debate. MSPs of all parties supported a parliamentary motion congratulating the cadet movement and recognising the support it offers young people.
Members of the ACF were present in the gallery of Holyrood Palace and were formally welcomed by Liz Smith, the MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife who had proposed the debate:
“The Cadet Force’s greatest strength is its many volunteers and instructors, who provide experience and specialist skills to develop cadets’ talents,” she said. “It is testament to the Cadet Force’s success that it has become one of the largest music educators of young people in Scotland. Some 800 young people in the Cadet Forces are taught piping and drumming each year; one in every 14 cadets learns to play the pipes or drums.”
Other MSPs added their own words of praise including Jim Hume, MSP for the South of Scotland, who described the Cadet Forces as “a tribute to the bravery” of servicemen and women, past and present.
Alex Neil, the Minister for Housing and Communities highlighted the range of Cadet150-related events taking place across the country, from tree-planting with the Woodland Trust to the Scottish Poisk 2010, a two-day endurance event. “We encourage all members of Parliament to support the 150th anniversary and all the celebrations that go with it,” he added.