Parents of cadets in Yorkshire (North and West) Army Cadet Force (ACF) will soon have a quick and easy new way to pay for annual camps, Duke of Edinburgh qualifications and other expenses.
At the moment, the force’s finance system only uses payment methods that many parents consider archaic – such as cheques and cash.
ParentPay
However, the new cadet executive officer for the cadets Tom Woodall is introducing online payments via ParentPay – a system commonly used by schools and which is familiar to parents as a way of viewing outstanding payments, settling them via bank transfer as well as having an online log of their expenditure.
Tom joined the RFCA as cadet executive officer for the cadets at the end of April after a 27-year career in the Army which saw him commissioned to the rank of captain in 2015.
Retirement from Army
Originally from Birmingham, Tom started his military career as a junior soldier at Harrogate’s Army Foundation College before joining the Royal Corps of Signals and spending many years in both Germany and Wiltshire.
“My wife Amanda comes from Yorkshire so it’s always been our plan to [settle here upon retirement from the British Army,” said Tom, who has two children, aged 14 and 16.
“I play an enabling role for the ACF, to work in the background with our professional support staff to make sure all the adult volunteers have what they need to deliver a fantastic experience for the cadets.
“Many of the forces have different ways of operating and my goal is to ensure we work as efficiently and effectively as we can to make sure the ACF is safely and correctly resourced.”