Poole’s “Admiral” becomes Poole Sea Cadets Patron

We are pleased to announce that it has been agreed that from now on the person holding the position of Mayor of Poole, who is also the Admiral of the Port of Poole, will be the Patron of Poole Sea Cadets.

Hamworthy Councillor Julie Bagwell, who has already been afloat with the Cadets, will be the first such Mayor of Poole to become our Patron. Elected as Mayor in May 2021, she enjoys charity work as well as spending time with her seven grandchildren. During her Mayoral year she has set out to visit as many schools and organisations as possible.

The Mayor said, “I truly appreciate all that the team, volunteers and families of all the young people who are cadets do to enhance the lessons learnt by becoming a Sea Cadet, team working, life skills, etc. I am so honoured to be The Patron”.

It is Poole Sea Cadet’s honour that she becomes our first Poole Mayoral Patron.

The Mayor of Poole inherits the honorary title of the “Admiral of the Port”. This is because from 1526 to 1835 the town was one of the few ports in England to have its own Admiralty Court, the business of which, included inquiring into crimes aboard ships, the activities of pirates, illegal fishing, recording goods salvaged from the sea, and the issuing of licences.

Roberto Rocca, Chair of Poole Sea Cadets, said, “We are extremely honoured that Poole’s Mayoralty, which is nearly 800 years-old, has agreed to become a figure head for our eighty-year-old organisation. Over the decades the Mayoralty and Poole Sea Cadets have always maintained a close relationship”.

For example, Lieutenant Commander Thomas “Tom” Sherrin was Mayor of Poole in 1964. His connection with the Sea Cadet Corps had commenced in 1939 and after a distinguished war service he was promoted to District Officer in 1950 before in 1951 being awarded the M.B.E. for his services to the Sea Cadets. He continued serving the Cadets until he retired as District Officer in 1970.
Paul Harding was named Poole “Sea Cadet of the Year” in 1994. He had been a great help to the then Mayor of Poole, Bruce Grant-Braham (now a Trustee of Poole Sea Cadets) who as a reward was able to co-ordinate sponsorship with the Sail Training Association for Paul to take part in that year’s 80-ship strong Tall Ship’s Race from Weymouth to La Coruna in Spain.
In 2011 the Poole Sea Cadet Unit benefited from a donation from Chris Bulteel, who had been the Mayor of Poole in 2010. The Mayor’s Charity cheque was presented at the Unit’s AGM and prize giving evening.

Poole Sea Cadet’s award-winning band had the great pleasure of playing to the invited guests at the Mayor of Poole, Carol Evans, Garden Party at Upton House in 2012. Carol was the 764th Mayor of Poole. The charities she chose to support that year included both Parkstone and Poole Sea Cadets. She was quoted in the Bournemouth Echo as saying that “Both of these units are struggling to improve their buildings and equipment for the many young people who use them. It will be great to give them a helping hand. These young people are our future, just the sort of young people that we want and need to take our beautiful town forward.”

At the Mayor’s Civic Award evening in 2012 the Unit was honoured to be presented with a Poole Pottery plate for being “Outstanding Ambassadors for the Borough of Poole”.
The Mayoralty of Poole and the Poole Sea Cadets are therefore the perfect fit.