Brighton | 17 September 2026 | Brighton Journal Newsdesk
Brighton Railway Station is set to become the unlikely headquarters for a major youth appeal later this month, as Brighton Sea Cadets prepare to bring dozens of young cadets and adult volunteers into the station concourse to launch the public phase of a campaign for a new permanent home.
TS Brighton, the city’s Sea Cadet unit, will stage the public action on Saturday, 26 September, from 9am to 5pm, with cadets appearing in a striking combination of formal Royal Navy No. 1 dress and PCS working uniforms. The event is designed to put the organisation’s increasingly urgent premises problems firmly in the public eye and encourage potential landlords, developers and local organisations to come forward with possible solutions.
The unit, which has been serving young people in Brighton for around 100 years, says its current headquarters at 43 Brewer Street is reaching the end of its operational life because of serious and accelerating structural problems. Although the charity owns the freehold of the building, the condition of the property means that finding a safe and sustainable replacement has become an increasingly pressing priority.
The campaign follows a helping hand from a member of the public in May, who funded secure new entry doors for the Brewer Street headquarters. That intervention has helped keep the unit operational in the short term, but it has not solved the underlying problem facing the organisation.
Now the Sea Cadets are looking for an existing building, development opportunity or commercial space in Brighton that could become a permanent Cadet Centre of Excellence. The organisation is particularly keen to hear from local developers, landlords and council networks that may be able to identify suitable premises or relocation opportunities.
For the young people involved, the issue is about considerably more than finding another building. A permanent base provides somewhere for cadets to meet, train, learn new skills and develop confidence, while also giving volunteers the facilities they need to support the unit’s activities. Losing the current headquarters without a suitable alternative would therefore have consequences well beyond bricks and mortar.
The Brighton Station event will provide the public with an opportunity to see the Sea Cadets in action and hear directly from the people involved in the appeal. A dedicated media, photography and interview session will take place at 11am on Saturday, 26 September, with adult volunteers, members of the Unit Management Team and cadets available to discuss the campaign.
There is also an important message behind the spectacle. Brighton has a long relationship with the sea, and organisations such as the Sea Cadets form part of the city’s wider community fabric. The appeal is ultimately a straightforward one: the young people are there, the volunteers are there and the organisation wants to continue its work — but it needs a safe, modern home in which to do it.
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