The Caterham Sea Cadets would like to say a big 'thank you' to the readers of The Caterham and District Independent who helped to fund the purchase of their new 17- seater minibus.

In March we reported that their old bus had failed its MOT and was no longer serviceable, but the £15,000 that the cadets had raised in the last two years was not enough to purchase a replacement vehicle. The local community answered their 'SOS' and the cadets soon had the funds to purchase the much-needed Ford Transit minibus.

The three year-old bus is top of the range with air conditioning, a cd player and a speed limiter.

Sub-lieutenant, Aaron Clarke, said: "We are looking forward to taking part in the Caterham Carnival Procession so that everyone can see our new bus. We are so grateful for everyone's generosity since the article was published in the paper. Crawley Mariners at Felbridge where we go sailing have also been very kind by reimbursing us our £140 annual membership fee so that we could put it towards the bus. The unit is keen to recruit new cadets. For more information visit: units.ms-sc.org/caterham