17-year-old Chris Shepherd (pictured right at Horse Guards Parade last year), from Shirley, is part of the Shirley Sea Cadets Unit. After getting through the District competition, he and the rest of his unit have just won the Area Armed Guard competition and are now set for the Nationals on 28th April in Plymouth.

The competition saw Chris and his fellow cadets on ceremonial duty, being judged on smartness and on their ability to perform complex moves with their rifles. They beat eight other units in the District competition, before overcoming another ten units in the Area competition. They are now one of six units to compete in the National Competition next month.

Chris is studying for an AVCE Double Award in Information Technology at the College and takes part in the Sea Cadets in his spare time. He joined the organisation when he was twelve after a recruitment event at his school, which was Light Hall.

"I was really into sports at the time, but I hadn't done water sports before and I thought it sounded like a good thing to try," said Chris. "It's a bit different and being in the Sea Cadets enables you to try lots of different things and travel around the country too. I've been to Portsmouth, Plymouth, up to Scotland and I got to sail all round the South coast with the Sea Cadets. I really enjoy it."

The Sea Cadets is a nationwide voluntary youth organisation, open to young people (boys and girls) aged 10 to 18. It is a registered charity and although they get some sponsorship from the Royal Navy, they do use Navy bases and their uniforms are supplied by the Royal Navy.

The nautical theme enables it's members to take part in many water-based activities including pulling (a type of rowing), kayaking, wind surfing, power boating, sailing and swimming.

Land-based activities are also enjoyed including football competitions, shooting competitions, expedition training and ceremonial exercises. Other activities include rock climbing, meteorology, engineering, music, IT and radio communications.