FIVE volunteers will take on a muddy 10km obstacle course in the summer in order to rejuvenate the local Sea Cadets group.
Following the stop-starts of the pandemic, Sea Cadets groups across the country have noticed a drop off in members and the St Helens branch is no different.
With a base on Mill Street close to the town centre, the local Sea Cadets offer a range of courses and activities for members to get involved in, both at sea and on land.
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Linking up with other Sea Cadets groups across the country, this includes accredited courses like first aid, marine engineering, and catering, as well as activities such as sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, rock climbing, and camping.
Following the customs and traditions of the Royal Navy, the organisation also travels on sea voyages and trains members on vital life skills such as teamwork, respect, self-discipline, and commitment.
As the number of volunteers at the local Sea Cadets base has dropped off since the pandemic, those involved have organised a Tough Mudder in order to raise awareness of the group and what they offer the community.
All of the money raised will also go back into the club in order to buy better equipment, offer a broader range of courses, and improve the facilities at Mill Street.
Ande Hurst, a Lieutenant who has been involved at St Helen Sea Cadets for almost 20 years, said: "At the moment, we have around 40 cadets in St Helens but our capacity is around 100.
"Our base at Mill Street also used to provide accomodation so we will be raising money to try and get this licence back [...] as well as better equipment, and fund more external activities and broader training courses."
After getting involved in a few fundraisers over the years, Ande said he is looking forward to the tough yet fun Tough Mudder challenge, taking place at Heaton Park in Manchester on Saturday, July 15.
To support Ande and the Sea Cadet's efforts, you can donate to the fundraiser here.
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