Sergeant Amiee Easterlow, Band Master and BTEC Music Instructor of 121 (Nuneaton) Squadron has been awarded the Commandant Air Cadets, Certificate of Meritorious Service in recognition of her contribution to music within the corps.

Amiee who was one of the founding members of the 121 Squadron Band which was formed in the year 2000 went on to become the Squadrons Band Master. She subsequently led the Squadron band to victory in the Warwickshire & Birmingham Wing Band Competition for the past seven years and thus has also led the wings representative band at the Regional Band Competition since 2003.

As Band Master Amiee has trained almost all of the bands members, most of whom had never played a musical instrument before joining the Air Cadets. Months of hard work and dedication by Amiee and the young musicians themselves finally rewarded when cadets are presented with their musicians badges.

Sergeant Easterlow was presented with her Commandant Air Cadets, Certificate of Meritorious Service awarded by Air Commodore Ian Stewart, during the Warwickshire & Birmingham Wing annual Dinner and Dance in the Forest Suite at the Village Hotel Coventry. The presentation being made by the Guests of Honour Wing Commander Mike Pollitt, Operations Manager for the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and Squadron Leader Martin Withers DFC.

Squadron Leader Martin Withers DFC was the captain of XM607, the first Vulcan to bomb in anger during the Falklands War. On 1 May 1982, just one month after the Argentine invasion, Squadron Leader Withers and his crew completed 'Black Buck One', the longest distance bombing mission in history until that time, and one of the most significant, attacking Port Stanley airfield during an 8,000 mile, 16 hour flight from their base at Ascension Island.

The last time the guests from the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and Amiee's band appeared together was when Vulcan XH558 did a low pass over the Warwickshire & Birmingham Wing Field Day Parade at Gamecock Barracks. However on that occasion, even XH558's four magnificent Olympus engines failed to stop the music.

After the presentation, Flight Lieutenant Ian Crewe Officer Commanding 121 (Nuneaton) Squadron said, “I am delighted that Amiee has received this award in recognition of the years of commitment and hard work that she has put into music not only on the Squadron but also within the Wing. So many young people have benefited from the training she has given over the years and the band has become a familiar sight, representing the Air Cadet movement at charity and ex-service organisation events throughout the Warwickshire & Birmingham area”.