A TEENAGER from Torfaen was appointed as the Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent’s Cadet at a Newport award ceremony this month.

Leading Cadet Jack Felvus, 15, was given a distinctive sash and badge of appointment for 2016 in front of nearly 100 people at Raglan Barracks, Newport.

The St Albans Roman Catholic School pupil was nominated by cadet group leaders and the Reserve Forces’ and Cadet’s Association for Wales and commended the work of Torfaen Sea Cadet Corps's adult volunteers.

Two of the volunteers include Lyn Salmoni and Sian Metcalfe, who were each given the Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent’s Certificate of Merit at the same event.

Mr Felvus said: “If you stay committed and you’re shown the support I’ve received from our unit’s volunteers, then you can go further and further up.

“It’s improved my confidence skills immensely and I’ve got a lot of external qualifications, like the Royal Yachting Association, British Rowing which really help with your CV when it’s time to apply to jobs.

“The skills I’ve learned here are transferable to mostly anything from everyday life.”

The teenager’s new role will include attendance with Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent, who acts as the Queens representative at official engagements – from remembrance events to royal visits and parades.

Adult volunteer Ms Metcalfe said: “It’s very nice to be recognised after 11 years, but I didn’t do it for that – all of my children have had an awful lot out of the Torfaen Sea Cadet Corps so I wanted to put something back in return."

Ex-cadet turned civilian instructor, Ms Salmoni added: “It’s a really rewarding place to be and you can learn so much from Cadets, even if you’re the one supposed to be doing the teaching.”

The ceremony was one of the last public engagements conducted by Sir Simon Boyle KCVO, who will step down on his 75th birthday next month.

The Vice Lord-Lieutenant Brigadier Robert Aitken CBE will become the new Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent.

The other two Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent’s Cadets appointed for 2016 are Cadet Sergeant Charlie Edmunds from the Caldicot Detachment of Gwent and Powys Army Cadet Force and Cadet Flight Sergeant Arran Rigby from No 1223 Caerphilly Squadron.