The NTC Invites you to Founders Day 2012!

The Nautical Training Corps (NTC) are proud to announce the 68^th Founders Day.

This year, the NTC returns home and back to its original roots in Brighton; celebrating a Founders and Fun Day on the Level, not far from the Corps very first unit, T.S. Nautilus.

The event takes place on 10th June and promises to not only reflect the Corps values and identity but be great fun too and will include ships from Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey.

The charity event will begin at 10:30 and run to around 16:30 with music and parade which will be followed in the afternoon by fete style stalls, supported by the RNLI, who will be providing demonstrations to cadets and to all those attending.

There will also be a funfair with Inflatable slides, cup and saucers, chair plain and other rides, alongside arena performances from several ships, activities and a dance performance from Dolphin House. Something to entertain all the family!

The NTC would like to invite everybody to come along, take part and enjoy the day and all that it has to offer. We hope you can make it!

Location: The Level – Park Cresent/Brighton, BN1 4SD

Times: 10am-4:30pm

INTREPID WINS PUBLIC VOTE AT ADUR POT OF GOLD

Hot on the heels of celebrating their 50th Anniversary, TS Intrepid pulled in the public vote at the Pot Of Gold grant award night at Adur Council offices in Shoreham, setting the wheels in motion for a new minibus.

Chair Tim Clarke and Commander Andy Clarke delivered a fantastic five minute pitch, complete with prompt cards (that, to the amusement of the gathered public decided to malfunction on more than one ocassion) generating a very memorable and amusing presentation, explaining why Intrepid deserves a grant of £5000 to add to the impressive £9000 total already raised by the ship and it's volunteers in their minibus appeal.

Adventure Activities Director Andy Clarke commented, 'This means so much to Intrepid. It opens many doors and allows us to transport cadets that otherwise may not be able to go to events further affield.' Tim Clarke had proposed as part of his presentation, that [Intrepid]' hopes that this can also benefit other local groups and charities and provide new opportunities, for them as as well.'

On the night several worthy causes put forward presentations, public residents were invited to vote electronically and results counted. Support was strong, and the council representatives were quick to congratulate Intrepid on the result; which will be confirmed once it is legally agreed by the council later in April.

Commander Brian Orchard wanted to thank all those who supported the ship and voted on the night and for the continuing hard work of all the volunteers at Intrepid.

The Friends of TS Intrepid alongside Commander Brian Orchard, Commander Andy Clarke and Tim Clarke.

 

TS INTREPID CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

 March 22^nd, 1962, saw TS Intrepid become the 14^th division (or ship) to be commissioned into the Nautical Training Corps, by Corps Founder and then Commodore Frank Froëst-Carr OBE NTC . Fifty years on, Intrepid stands tall as one of 20 units and can be regularly found supporting community events through Sussex along with their multi-award winning band. 

Intrepid Past:

 

And Present:

Some fifty years later, on the 24^th March 2012, Intrepid hosted a celebration and reunion for officers and cadets, past and present, volunteers and invited guests, totalling over two hundred people at Lancing Parish Hall. Support was strong, with the Corps patron Rear Admiral R. John Lippiet CB MBE, keen to express his delight at being invited to the event, ‘ I am excited to be invited here tonight to share in the ship’s 50^th anniversary celebrations, a testament to all the cadets, officers and volunteers that make Intrepid a success.’

Chair of Lancing Parish Council, Cllr Ann Bridges, and Adur Council Chair, Brian Boggins were both on hand to help distribute the numerous awards and prizes presented to cadets and officers for determined hard work and achievements throughout the course of 2011.  

Commanding officer Brian Orchard, who oversaw the evening, has been involved with Intrepid from its very beginning and can boast an impressive forty years at the helm as Commanding Officer. Even the Corps patron, Rear Admiral Lippiet, quipped;  ‘some very impressive dedication, I am trumped at only 36 years! [Royal Navy]’  Commodore David Wright (NTC) echoed the sentiment: ‘‘It has been an absolute honour to be here tonight and to congratulate Brian Orchard for all his hard work and service to the corps’.

Commander Orchard was keen to acknowledge that none of this would be possible without the help and support of his team of officers, cadets and volunteers that have seen the ship bloom and receive much recognition and respect within the Corps and the local community. ‘It has been an absolute honour as a founding cadet and with some hard work, to see Intrepid through to its fiftieth year. It really has been a great part of my life.’

 

 It’s fair to say the night showcased much of the fun and activity of TS Intrepid, with music throughout the night being provided by Intrepid’s band, ranging from traditional tunes through to the impressive Star Wars and Dr. Who melodies that proved big winners at the NTC’s annual band contest in 2011.

The unit’s fundraising skills were also put to test, with a raffle and sale of impressive handmade and limited edition woolly ‘bugs’, a caricature of Officers, Cadets and Intrepid’s mascot, ‘Dudley the Dragon’. Funds raised amounted to a cool £300 to help support the running of the ship, which receives no government funding. 

Corps Commodore David Wright, swelled with pride at the achievement of the Lancing based ship,

‘This has been a fantastic night, showcasing the dedication, positive attitude and fun that Intrepid has. They deserve every success and I am delighted to be here as Commodore, to celebrate their 50^th with them. I’m so happy to have seen their progression and am touched by the amount of support Intrepid receives from all its volunteers.’

 

As the sun set on an evening of recognition fun and memories, the band had its audience on their feet for a rendition of the National Anthem and earned themselves a well-deserved round of applause, perhaps even the odd sentimental tear for those who enjoyed the Fifty years past and hopefully, many more decades to come.

 

If you are in the Lancing area, why not visit TS Intrepid’s website at http://www.ntc.org.uk/intrepid and find out how you can join in the fun. 

For more, please click HERE, 200+ photos!

NTC BANDS HELP FIREWORK DISPLAY GO OFF WITH A BANG....

Guildford Torchlight Procession

Report by Cdr. Andrew Clarke NTC

Many units at this time of year participate in various fireworks and torchlight events. The units of West Sussex South Region are no different. For the past decade, TS Implacable (Littlehampton) have lead the Guildford Lions Torchlight procession, and since 2006, Implacable have included their sister ships, to parade as the region’s combined massed marching bands.

This year, much like any other, started with a long drive from the coast up to Guildford. With TS Sturdy (Chichester) engaged elsewhere, TS Intrepid (Lancing) met with Implacable en route, just in time to assist one of Intrepid’s officers replace a flat tyre (it happened to be the car carrying all of Intrepid’s band gear, which had to be removed to get to the spare!).

At 1910, the 33 musicians from TS Implacable and Intrepid marched up the high street to the clock tower, playing the march from Longest Day. Once formed up, the audience were treated to performances by the individual bands, playing tunes from their recent Band Competition routines, including a Star Wars Medley, Sailing, Gibraltar (2^nd Movement), and the Great Escape March.

The band then waited as the Mayor addressed the public, and the torches were lit. The band slowly became surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of torchbearers. Petty Officer Simon Nicholls of Implacable remarked at how it felt as though the heating had just been turned on. As members of the band looked back down the length of the high street, all they could see were flaming torches for as far as they could see.

With the torches lit, and the Guildford Town Mayor immediately behind the band, 1945 saw the West Sussex South Regional Mass Marching Band march off to Royal Salute (2^nd Movement), leading what must have been well over 15 thousand torchbearers. 3/O James Copple of Implacable commented after, “all the cadets enjoy this parade. It’s fun, simple, and has great fireworks at the end.”

The band lead the massive parade for about 30 minutes to the nearby Stoke Park, where the Guildford Lions hold their Fireworks Extravaganza. As the band leave the well lit streets of Guildford, they cross the unlit park. The band’s instruments were wit with glowsticks, and some musicians had torches to help them see their music. “The hardest part of the march is crossing the field,” remarked 3/O Tyler Buckham, bandmaster of Intrepid. “The field is pitch black, covered with slippery mud, and I had to play my trumpet entirely from memory.”

At the end of the parade, the band’s played one more tune each, again from the recent competition. Intrepid lead their Doctor Who arrangement, whilst Implacable presented I Will Follow Him. Cdr Andy Clarke of Intrepid commented, “we have wonderful and enthusiastic musicians. When we played our individual tunes, many of us were scrambling around to see the other band’s music, so we could join in with each other – that’s real NTC spirit.”

The night ended with a spectacular 20 minute firework display, with an audience of thousands on Stoke Park watching. Cdr Brian Orchard, commanding officer of Intrepid joked that, “if they’d given us [Intrepid] the money they’d spent on those fireworks, we could afford several minibuses.” TS Intrepid, who got to Guildford in three cars, are currently raising £14 000 towards the cost of a minibus. To find out more about their appeal, go to www.ntc.org.uk/intrepid.

As always, the cadets and officers had a fantastic night at Guildford. They are already looking forward to leading next year’s parade.

Remembrance Sunday 2011

Across the Corps, ships supported their local towns and services in an act of remembrance for those who had fallen and served to protect us.

This year, I joined TS Nautilus and TS Zealous at  the main cenotaph at the Steine in Brighton.Thankfully, the weather was more than kind and as the crowds assembled behind the barriers surrounding the area, we could hear the beating of drums as the assembled parade formed up to show its support.

Following the service. lead by the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex the NTC proudly placed wreaths in a sea of poppies at the foot of the cenotaph.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

-Laurence Binyon

Please send your pictures to PR@NTC.ORG.UK

Pictures available here

 

TS Intrepid in the press

Well done to T.S. Intrepid for making Lancing and Shoreham Herald newspapers.

If you missed the article, you can 'read all about it' by clicking here

2011 Band Competition

 October 30th 2011 saw yet another successful Band Contest at the Triangle, Burgess Hill with the Corps Music Director Commander Craig Knight (NTC) at the helm. The annual event saw ships from all areas of  the corps competing across different levels, to prove they have what it takes in their class. The event also saw the opportunity for ships to parade their Colour Party and compete for the right to parade the National Colour (pictured above).

The corps was also pleased to welcome T.S. Alacrity from the Junior Cadet Corps who were keen to show their skills as part of the FINTO Class of performers. Alongside marching band displays, the day played host to fanfares and also a number of ensembles from T.S. Glorious T.S. Swiftsure,  and T.S. Superb (NTC) allowing cadets and officers to employ a variety of larger instruments, that would be impossible to carry, producing what can be only be described as an awesome and impressive sound.

Each class offered an impressive display and a good quality of sound, regardless of band size, matching both quality and volume to provide a great sound for all officers, cadets, parents, VIP's and guests who offered their support with applause, whooping and cheering!

Corps Patron Rear-Admiral John Lippiett commented 'It's brilliant to see the performances made by everybody here today... to produce music of this quality requires intense preparation and too this year, the Colour parties have really raised the standard of the competition.'

Certainly, this year several of the competitors employed real originality into their routines, from T.S. Swiftsure's James Bond  set to the superb integration of Coldplay's 'Clocks' into T.S. Implacable's routine and the impressive use of the current theme of the BBC television series Dr. Who and that of the Star Wars Imperial March into T.S. Intrepid's display. 'As with all the competitors for the day, the skill and ability to play instruments with such precision is enviable, to be able to complete this whilst marching and performing a routine is nothing short of incredible!' - Laura Moffat, chair of the NTC

Commander Peter Mosse, former Comanding Officer of HMS Ambuscade and chair of the HMS Ambuscade Association, was thrilled to watch T.S. Ambuscade's first appearance at the competition 'never have so few moved so fast !...i'm quite sure Ambuscade will triumph as usual!' Indeed, an incredible feat to be able to form a functioning band; the ability to be able to compete and put on a great show did not go un-noticed by the judges...

Cdr. Peter Mose (HMS Ambuscade) Proudly hands over a trophy.

As the day drew to a close and following thanks, we moved into the awards section of the evening, with several ships walking away with an armful of awards for their efforts.

After a full day of musical entertainment, all that remained was to complete 'sunset' accompanied by fanfare and to march from the ground, ready for another year displaying all the talent has to offer across the regions.

As soon as they are available, I will update this article with contest winners from the day.

For more, free photos of the event please click here and here to view in a seperate window.