A SECOND year of funding has been secured by the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Cadets giving more young people the opportunity to take part in the training.

The Hills Group initially provided funding for the 2018/19 intake of Fire Cadets who recently celebrated their passing out at parades in both Swindon and Trowbridge where the two units are based.

The company has now secured the second year of funding which will cover costs towards uniform and educational supplies.

DWFRS Youth Intervention Manager, Rob Guy, said: “We are very grateful to The Hills Group for their ongoing support.

“We are currently preparing for the start of the next cohorts at Trowbridge and Swindon in September and their funding assists us with these costs.”

Paul Scriven, plant manager at Hills in Westbury said: “I congratulate all the Fire Cadets for the commitment they have shown in successfully completing the course and obtaining their Level 2 BTEC qualification, the National Fire Cadet Level 1 Award and an AQA Award.

“The experience the Fire Cadets obtain from working as a team, and improving their self-esteem, confidence and communication skills will prove very valuable in the next phase of their development.

“I am very pleased that Hills will be sponsoring the Fire Cadets for another year and trust that the new recruits who start in September will be as successful.”

The aim of Fire Cadets is to support the development of young people by providing a positive role model and giving them opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities.

A cadet spokesman said: "Young people between the ages of 12 and 18 can apply to take part in this rewarding training scheme, which not only gives them the chance to learn new personal and social skills, but also obtain qualifications.

"The programme is linked to the National Fire Cadet model, and is delivered by firefighters and Fire and Rescue Service staff.

"Each course lasts for 38 weeks within the academic year, starting in September.

"Fire Cadets is designed to challenge and develop the participants by getting them to work co-operatively within a team environment, gain self-esteem and self-confidence and improve communication skills, adopt a new set of personal values, understand the importance of safety issues and the consequences of anti-social behaviour and see the advantages of improving their learning and performance."

To find out more please visit www.facebook.com/TrowFireCadets/