My name is Chris Stinchcombe and I am 49 years old, my wife is Sue ,47, and we have three children Andrew ,22, Claire, 18, and Mark,17. Our first encounter with the 93 (City of Bath) Squadron Air Training Corps was when our eldest son Andrew joined the Special Activities Flight. At the time we did not realise that parents could become involved except for attending fund raising events and - being a teenager - our son did not keep us too well informed of the activities that he participated in. We were only too grateful for a quiet weekend or two when he was away getting dirty, but we remember the washing only too well. It was only a matter of time before our daughter Claire decided to join the ranks and become a junior band member, playing the xylophone and marimba in the percussion section. She now holds the rank of Flight Sergeant, she was voted best female cadet for the Bristol & Gloucester Wing of the Air Training Corps this year and her percussion section is the current national Air Cadet champions and have been for the past 8 years. She has also gained her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award and regularly represents the Squadron in swimming and athletics.

It was during this time that my wife and I became involved with the Air Cadets as we were so keen to follow the band and their successes. We started off by supporting the band - helping carry instruments from buses to venues, providing drinks, shoulders to cry on, tool kits when necessary, sweets en route, etc. From time to time we attended band camps with the cadets to cook and provide support, and we often joined in with activities and night exercises. Who would have thought that at our age we would be crawling around the Mendips on our hands and knees in the dark looking for glow sticks and "ambushing" people. Great fun! Our youngest son Mark then joined the percussion section, playing drums. This was good news for us as we were then able to follow both Mark and Claire around the country. Mark progressed to a front rank drummer and gained his Silver D of E Award and BTEC in Public Services before leaving in September 2004 to follow a career as a trainee chef.

Sue is now Chairman of the Civilian Committee having been a member for several years. For the past 13 years she has been a pre-school teacher - when away from the squadron - looking after children aged between 3 and 5 years old. She said: "I have been involved with committees throughout my children's school lives and it seemed a natural progression to become involved with the Squadron's Civilian Committee when the opportunity arose. "As Chairman of the committee I attend the Squadron on parade nights (twice a week) to help with office paperwork, organising fund raising, writing letters for sponsorship and Grant applications, collection of subs. and organising fun evenings for the cadets and many other activities. It's marvelous.

"We hold committee meetings once a month with our Squadron Commander to discuss Squadron activities, finances, maintenance and requests from Flights. I also attend a Wing Chairpersons' meeting twice a year to discuss the
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"I like to become involved with Squadron activities, helping out with athletics, swimming, band activities, passing out parades, sponsored walks, charity events etc. I am always there to help the staff if they need an extra pair of hands and I have become extremely good with a needle and thread preparing uniforms for parades and band competitions. These things are not a requirement of a Chairman but I have found that I volunteer and really enjoy them. The Squadron and the cadets have become my extended family and when they do well I am the gloating 'mother'.
"I find it extremely rewarding, for example, when we have raised enough funds to buy that extra piece of equipment that is desperately needed, or the cadets have really enjoyed an event that has been organised, or parents phone to thank you for providing such wonderful opportunities for their children. These things make it all worthwhile, and I hope that during my time as chairman I can say that I helped to make things happen."