On Saturday 14th December, as festivities across Witney continue in the build-up for Christmas, 16 cadets and 3 staff from the Squadron participated in carol singing at their local branch of Sainsbury’s. As shoppers went down the aisles collecting festive treats they were treated to a range of carols performed by the cadets. It also provided the squadron with the opportunity to raise funds for future needs and also importantly to raise the units profile within the local community.
For the cadets, they accepted the challenge from the supermarket to form a Christmas choir less than 24 hours from their first public appearance, conducting just one rehearsal before performing to a live audience where mistakes couldn’t be hidden. Nominated choirmaster, Plt Off Caffrey, commented on the day that “all the cadets performed extremely well for the little time they had to rehearse; every cadet did a grand job in adding to the festive atmosphere for the shoppers”.
The squadron doesn’t have a band nor had any experience of the music side of the Air Cadet Organisation but this could be the start of an official squadron choir with an advert for a Choirmaster already having been published! All the cadets who attended the event enjoyed themselves and very quickly overcame their ‘stage fright’. It isn’t often the squadron has the opportunity to have such a presence within the public eye and a number of shoppers took the time to speak to the cadets and congratulate them on their performance.