Esmée flies high, thanks to award

Cadet Sergeant Esmée Webley, has won 35 hours of flying tuition worth £3,000, thanks to the Royal Air Forces Association.

The RAF charity runs an annual flying scholarship programme, which gives six awards to outstanding members of the Air Cadet Organisation. The awards attract more than 250 applications every year from across the UK.

An Air Cadet with 2522 (Bedlington) Squadron ATC, Esmée was presented with her prize by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, at the association’s annual conference.

Esmée said: “It’s been lots of hard work. I applied last year and wasn’t successful, so I think the message is, don’t give up. The amount you can achieve in one year with the ATC can really push forward your application. Just keep trying.”

Air Vice-Marshal John Cliffe, chairman of the association, said: “We’re delighted these young adults who aspire to a life in aviation are going to receive some flying training. The quality of entries is extremely high and the application and interview process is very thorough. So our 2017 winners can be very proud of their achievements.”