Cadet Katie is Kenya bound

Lance Corporal Katie Hargan will meet up with the remainder of the squad in London and then it’s off on an adventure of a lifetime for her.

The cadets have all been selected as part of a National Army Cadet Force Team, during the trip she will work in a local school helping paint chalk boards and repairing the school water tank and pipes.

As well as assisting with other maintenance they will also help set up a football academy for the local villagers who can then enjoy playing football in a safe environment.

The cadets will travel to Ol Pejeta Conservation Park where they will work closely with the animals including a Rhino conservation project.

This will be followed by some adventurous training including white water rafting and climbing to improve self-discipline and confidence.

The programme includes playing a number of football games against the local village teams mostly held in the evenings due to the heat.

Katie, who is a very keen footballer and a member of the successful Lisneal College Girls Football Team, is really looking forward to the trip.

She said: ”I cannot believe that I am going to Kenya to play football.

“I enjoy all the sport in the cadets and I have already represented Northern Ireland Army Cadets in the national football and cross country finals in Liverpool last year but this is something special”.

Katie’s mother Lorna Logan expressed her thanks, saying: “Both my girls have got so much out of the army cadets, they love everything that they do, and it is great that Katie has been selected for such a wonderful experience.

“They have both made so many friends not only in the local area but from all over Northern Ireland and now from different parts of the world”.

Katie also thanked everyone who had helped her raise the £600 for the trip.

She said: “I would like to thank those who helped fund this great experience, Reserve Forces and Cadets Assocation Northern Ireland, The Army Cadet Force Association Northern Ireland as well as fundraising from other members of the First (Northern Ireland) Battalion Army Cadet Force.

“The cadets in Lisneal Detachment sponsored me to do a two hour bike ride in Lisneal Detachment on a Tuesday evening which raised over £200,” she said.

The Army Cadet Force is open to all young people from all of our communities who are aged 12 – 18 years.

It offers fun, action, adventure and friendship to all the cadets, for more information on the ACF, you can log on to www.armycadets.com/1stNIacf and for more information about local detachments in the Derry/Londonderry area.

You can also find out more on Facebook and Twitter via @1NIACF