Islington Sea Cadets (photo: Matt Dathan)
The Islington Sea Cadets centre has been forced to close due to health and safety concerns, forcing youngsters to trek to another unit in Hackney for their training.
The Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC), who license the property, said the emergency exits and fire doors at the premises on Canonbury Road were not fit for purpose.
But parents and volunteers are determined to save the 70-year-old home, T.S Quail, and are meeting representatives from the Sea Cadet Corps this week, as well as the owners of the property, to try to find a solution.
Steve Eady, the commanding officer of the Islington Sea Cadets, gives up two evenings a week to train the youngsters and said the closure means he now has to transport the scouts to and from Clapton. He believes the closure will deter kids from joining the cadets in the future.
He said: “It’s not very good for them [the young cadets] because they have to get to Canonbury earlier, it takes much more time and it will discourage kids from attending the cadets.”
Angela Gordon, whose son is a member of ISC, called the MSSC’s decision “disgusting”.
She said: “The kids are gutted. Some of them joined at ten and they are now 18, and some members of staff joined about the same age and are now in their mid 20s. There are a lot of memories there.”
A spokeswoman for the MSSC defended their decision and denied the closure spelled the end to sea cadets in Islington.
She said: “Of course they still exist. A unit is about the kids, not where they parade. Islington are currently homeless, that’s all. The important thing is keeping those kids active.”
Mr Eady and the rest at T.S. Quail are optimistic of keeping their home on Canonbury Road and he said it was vital for the local area that the young cadets train locally as they fulfill important activities for the local community.