Prestigious titles for Cadets

TEENAGE Cadets Kim Curry, from Donemana, and Jodie Spence, from Newbuildings, have landed prestigious titles to serve in honorary posts as two of the Queen’s Lord Lieutenants.

Last week Jodie received a letter saying she had secured the nomination as Her majesty’s Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for Londonderry, while Kim has been successfully nominated as the incoming year’s Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for County Tyrone. Both of them will accompany and serve the respective Lord Lieutenants when they are attending civic events.

In addition to their civic event duties, both Cadets will be entitled to wear the official Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet insignia on their uniforms throughout their year in office.

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They will officially receive their titles on April 28 at a special ceremony at Hillsborough Castle.

Kim, aged, 16, who is a Fifth Year student at Strabane Academy on the Liskey Road campus, said that she joined the Cadets almost four years ago, with encouragement from her mother, Valerie, and at first was undecided about whether or not the organisation was for her.

“It wasn’t until I went to Canada with the Cadets for seven weeks that my eyes opened and I realised how much I enjoyed being a Cadet,” she said.

Kim said that she was “over the moon” to learn that she had been nominated for the title,

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“I could not believe it, as it is such a prestigious award. and I was like ‘ther eis no way I could ever get that’. Then, whenever I was told I was nominated I thought it was really good, and whenever I found out I had got it I could not believe it. My mum was really excited for me and she is now out looking at outfits,” she said.

Meanwhile, Alison Spence, mother of Jodie Spence, said it was “fantastic” that her daughter had been nominated and chosen.

“Jodie puts a lot into the Cadets and enjoys it so much. She has made many friends through it and gets to go a lot of places through it. She is very committed. It is a great thing to happen for her,” Mrs Spence said.

“I am so proud that she has been honoured and Jodie was absolutely buzzing when she heard she had been selected. To get to Hillsborough for the awards ceremony is exciting,” she said.

Both Kim and Jodie are enrolled with 1st Northern Ireland ‘B’ Company cadets, Newbuildings attachment.

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