Crayford’s sea cadets were about to sink without trace until a last minute cash injection helped them stay afloat.

Dartford and Crayford Sea Cadets have been based at their headquarters by Brooklands Lake, Dartford, since they were founded 72 years ago during the height of the Second World War in 1942.

The unit, which is one of the oldest in the country, is funded partly by the Ministry of Defence but gets no help from the government towards running costs for its HQ, which is known as the Anson after the famous battleship.

These £1,000-a-month outgoings were crippling the group to the point where they may have had to fold as soon as the beginning of next month.

But a £6,000 funding boost from Dartford Council has kept the unit going for at least another six months.

Unit management committee member Stephen West, 56, told News Shopper: "It’s a reprieve and it’s helped give us some breathing space.

"The council said they didn’t want to see us go under as we have been such a big part of the town for more than 70 years.

News Shopper:

Cadets with Mayor of Dartford Councillor Avtar Sandhu.

"We are still going to need a bit more help in future to get on top of it and make us self reliant but the council has helped us big time and we hope we can expand now."

From the days of having 100 cadets numbers have dwindled to around 30, with the resultant reduction in membership fees hitting the unit hard.

The group does not own the land they use around Brooklands Lake, which is rented from Dartford Council for £6,000 a year.

Although they get around half of this back, confusion over whether the terms of the lease allowed the cadets to hire the venue out to other groups has denied the them a possible revenue stream.

Dartford Council is negotiating with the group over the terms of another possible grant of an undisclosed sum, on top of the £6,000 already pledged.

Leader Jeremy Kite says the council will help the unit advertise and try and become more self-sufficient as a condition of the funding offer.

He said: "They have got some breathing space to try and recruit new members now.

"They are a great organisation and what they have got to do now is go back and do what they do best which is recruiting new cadets, looking after them a giving them a good character-building experience."

To help support the cadets text ANSN01 plus an amount to 70070 - i.e. to donate £10 text ANSN01 £10" to 70070 - or visit sea-cadets.org/dartfordcrayford