Cadets are awarded trophies for winning competitions in a wide range of activities, in everything from first aid to poetry. This trophy was awarded annually to a Nursing Cadet unit in honour of a Mrs Elizabeth Tweedale. Nursing Cadet units were all-girl units and so this award would always have been given to an all-girl group. 

The Tweedale Nursing Cadet Trophy came into being in September 1932, at the conference of No. 4 Lancashire District of the St John Ambulance Brigade. At the conference, Mrs Tweedale was recognised for her 25 years of service as the secretary of the South-East Lancashire Division. Over that time she had seen the Division’s membership increase from 200 to 2,000 and she had already been made a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John in recognition of her work. This silver trophy, along with other gifts of silverware such as a sugar sifter and tray, were awarded to her by Colonel Trimble.  

When the idea of a presentation to thank Mrs. Tweedale for her work had first been mentioned to her, she had said she would rather have something that she could hand back for competition, so this was why a trophy was chosen as a gift. The trophy was then awarded to competition winners almost every year until 1998, and now forms part of the Museum’s collection.