HM Lord Lieutenant for Leicestershire, Michael Kapur OBE, has appointed an Army Cadet from Loughborough College to assist him with official duties.
College Space Engineering student Katie West has already represented the Lord Lieutenant by laying a wreath at the Festival of Remembrance at De Montfort Hall and the 17 year old has been chosen to read Carol Ann Duffy’s Last Post for this year’s Remembrance service at Leicester Cathedral, which will be broadcast by the BBC. Katie could also be called on to accompany the Queen’s representative in the county as an ambassador for the Cadet Forces, if a member of the royal family visits the area.
“It was a privilege to represent the Lord Lieutenant at the Festival of Remembrance and although I am nervous, I am very proud to have been chosen to read the poem on Remembrance Sunday,” said Katie.
“Some of my class mates on the Space Engineering course met Princess Anne recently and a former Lord Lieutenant’s cadet was involved with that visit. It would be such an honour to be considered for something like that.”
It is Katie’s final year on the pioneering Space Engineering programme, which Loughborough College launched in partnership with the National Space Academy, and she is determined to seize every opportunity the course and the Army Cadets offer.
“I’ve been an army cadet since 2014 and I have grabbed everything with both hands – adventure training in Germany, ice climbing in Norway… I have worked very hard and I have enjoyed every minute.
“I’ve also been so happy with the brilliant things I’ve been given the chance to experience as part of the Space course and I’m working hard so I can go on to a degree apprenticeship or university and then hopefully into the armed forces to train as an officer.”
“Katie has thoroughly enjoyed studying Space Engineering with Loughborough College – she loves being challenged and looks for exciting and unusual opportunities. She gets involved in everything with the Army Cadets – she’s just got back from South Africa where she was on the England team for tug of war and she’s been national champion for sports including swimming and cross country…But the most brilliant thing is that she is such an inspiration to other young people and supports them wherever she can,” added Katie’s mum Beverley West. “When Katie was named as the Lord Lieutenant’s Army Cadet it was such a proud moment.”
Pictured: Loughborough College Space Engineering student Katie West with the Lord Lieutenant for Leicestershire Michael Kapur OBE