THE finishing touches are being put to a project that could see a military youth group's funds and recruitment levels soar to new heights.

Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich Air Cadets - 1005 Squadron - have been busy renovating the cockpit section from an historic Mark 3 Jet Provost training aircraft after it was donated to them by the RAF.

The aircraft will be exhibited outside the Radcliffe Dulux Decorator Centre in Bury Road, Radcliffe, on Saturday at 10am, where cadets will be applying the final touches.

A £400 paint donation from the Dulux Decorator Centre has allowed a team of local cadets to complete the refurbishment of the cockpit in its original colours. It is now set to become the star attraction at fundraising and recruitment events.

The first Jet Provosts (JPs) came into service in the early 1960s, quickly becoming the standard trainer for the RAF thanks to their excellent manoeuvrability and top speed of 440mph. The JPs were eventually decommissioned in the early 1990s, most of them finishing up on the scrapheap.

However, 1005 Squadron received the cockpit section and a trailer from the Linton-on-Ouse airbase. Since then the 30 local cadets have been working on the cockpit from their headquarters on Knowles Street.

Flight Lieutenant Roy Cross, who leads 1005 Squadron, said: "The JP is an important piece of RAF history and the section we were given had deteriorated badly over the years, so it desperately needed renovation.

"It's been a great effort by the cadets to get the piece in such good shape. We're very grateful to all the businesses that have helped us recreate the cockpit, and look forward to showing it off at our summer events."

According to the jet's log book, the plane served at RAF Church Fenton, RAF Shawbury and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in Yorkshire from 1960 up to its decommissioning in 1991, clocking up 4,498 flying hours.

The cockpit recently stole the show at Radcliffe Carnival, and will be loaned to Bolton air cadets for their Veteran's Day later in the summer. It will also be available to air cadet groups around Manchester to use for promotional activities.

As well as the paint, the cadets received metal patches and rivets from WT Fabricates, fibreglass compounds and other sundries from Bob In, and four wheels from Radcliffe Tyres and Exhaust.