Staff Cadet Sgt Kate Bilclough, of St Neots Detachment, will go onto the final Stage 4 selection process in Cornwall which will take place late July to early August. Normally the finalists go to South Africa, but due to Covid restrictions this is not possible. There will also be a lunch at The House of Lords.
Kate said; ‘‘I'm delighted to have got to the final 15, I met some lovely people in Somerset and am looking forward to seeing some of them in Cornwall, It's a great achievement to have made the final from what I believe are thousands of applications, and become the first Cadet from this county to get to the finals. There are a lot of outgoing and very strong characters in the final 15, but I am looking forward to giving it my all in Cornwall and the awards lunch at the House of Lords will be a great experience.’
LCpl Bilclough also completed the BTEC ILM Level 3 qualification, and was the first Cambs Cadet to do so. Cambs ACF CVQO Officer Captain Liz Hyslop said; ‘I’m so proud of Sgt Bilclough’s achievement as it means I can stand down as County CVQO Officer a very happy person having encouraged a cadet to aim high and gain a rare high award that will take her a long way in her future working/university/military life. The next intake of Diploma cadets will get the chance to start it at Annual Camp this year when CVQO training/mentoring staff are visiting.’ Her pride is greatly increased on hearing that LCpl Grace has now also completed this extremely useful and nationally recognised qualification.
St Neots Detachment Commander SSI Dale Irving said; “We are incredibly proud of Sgt Bilclough’s achievements and wish her the best of luck in the next stage of selection in Cornwall. Getting to this stage is a credit to Sgt Bilclough, and is due to her hard work completing her BTEC Level 3 itself, various charity events and outstanding performance on the selection event at Somerset. CVQO/BTEC is another incredible qualification that cadets can obtain through the ACF. Get yourself enrolled and get a great, civilian recognised, qualification on your CV!”
If you are interested in learning more about the CVQO Westminster Award, speak to your Detachment Commander and visit the link here: https://cvqo.org/events-awards/westminster-award/
Text by SI Doug Stuart with SI Emily White.
Photos; SI Emily White, SSI Dale Irving, and the CVQO Selection Team.