Twelve people recognised by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan

His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan, Professor Peter Vaughan QPM CStJ, spoke at his annual awards ceremony, held to celebrate achievers from the Cadet and Reserve communities.

He commended the efforts of twelve people, including eight young cadets from across Mid Glamorgan, at his awards ceremony held on Thursday 26 January 2023 at the Pontypridd Army Reserve Center.

He said the Cadet Forces, which included a mix of military training, youth work, civilian skills and community work, helped develop young people so they are ready to take their place in society.

“The Cadet Forces would not operate without the outstanding dedication and commitment of the officers and adult volunteers who give their free time to make these organizations work,” said Professor Vaughan.

Able Cadet Brandon Jones of the Rhondda Sea Cadet Corps; Competent Cadet Anna-Maria Petter of Porthcawl Sea Cadet Corps, Cadet Flight Sergeant Scott Jones of No 3 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets; Cadet Flight Sergeant Emily Richards of No 1 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets and Cadet Corporal Casey Garland of Cardiff and Vale Combined Cadet Forces have been appointed Lord Lieutenant Cadets for Mid Glamorgan for 2023.

Brandon, 16, from Tonypandy, who is aspiring to join the Royal Navy, was delighted to be part of the Cadet Honor Guard during the King’s first visit to Cardiff.

Anna-Maria, 16, from Bridgend, who attends Cardiff and Vale College, is an avid musician who hopes to study music performance in the future. Her favorite pastime is rowing and her biggest achievement as a cadet was spending a week aboard the TS Royalist last year.

Scott, 17, who attends Bryntirion Comprehensive School in Bridgend, was described as having “outstanding leadership qualities” and received the Junior Cadet of the Year award within his first 12 months. He oversees the Recruit Training Flight, which now numbers over twenty cadets. He aspires to become an engineer with the RAF or British Airways.

Emily, 17, from Merthyr, also attends Cardiff and Vale College and is aspiring to become an engineer in the aerospace sector of the military. Her achievements to date as cadets include flying in a Merlin helicopter and receiving a certificate of good office from the Air Commodore.

Casey, 17, from Aberdare, who attends Cardiff and Vale College and travels 50 miles on public transport every week to visit cadets, says her greatest achievement to date has been representing cadets at the King’s first visit to Cardiff Castle .

The five were chosen for the prestigious cadet role of Lord-Lieutenant after being put forward for nomination by cadet squad leaders and the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Wales.

You will follow in the footsteps of Cadet David Morgan of the Porthcawl Sea Corps; Cadet Corporal Nyah Pope of Dyfed and Glamorgan Army Cadet Force; Cadet Flight Sergeant Garyn Kiff of No 1 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets and Cadet Flight Sergeant Corey Luke of No 3 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets awarded the Mid Glamorgan Lord-Lieutenant Certificate and Badge as a Representative of 2022.

The role of Lord-Lieutenant-Cadet includes presence with the Lord-Lieutenant, acting as the King’s representative, at a range of official engagements, including commemorations, royal visits and parades.

Three adults were also recognized for distinguished service and dedication to duty, being awarded the Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificate of Merit.

They were Civilian Instructor Michelle Sussex of the No 1 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets, Sergeant Stephen Hughes of 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh and Acting Lance Corporal Rebecca Comer of the Wales Universities Officers’ Training Corps.

Michelle von Merthyr Tydfil joined the Civilian Committee of 415 Merthyr Tydfil Squadron when her son enlisted as a cadet and within a few years was encouraged to become a civilian instructor and is currently the Squadron and Seconded Flight Adjutant – an integral and exceptional member of the teams .

Rebecca, a reservist from Bridgend, was an officer’s cadet with Wales UOTC while at university. After university as part of the UOTC of Wales, she was mobilized to the Joint Military Command Wales in support of Operation Rescript during the pandemic, where she worked as part of the operations team. Outside of her reservist work, Rebecca is a police officer.

Reservist Stephen from Pontypridd works as a recruiter in 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh and has consistently exceeded set recruitment quotas for many years and as such his success has resulted in him being hired three days a week. He keeps in touch with recruits in his spare time to ensure they are informed and derives great satisfaction from helping others become members of the armed forces.

There are almost 5,000 cadets in Wales who gain skills and qualifications by working with local communities and charities and participating in a wide range of hands-on activities. The cadet curriculum is delivered by 1,500 volunteer adult instructors and civilian assistants who give up their free time on weekdays and weekends.

The awards ceremony, which was attended by around 80 people, was organized by the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Wales – an organization that has supported the armed forces for over 100 years.