Caithness Army Cadet Force volunteer receives Lord-Lieutenant's Certificate of Meritorious Service
A volunteer with the Army Cadet Force has been honoured for his work in improving the lives of young people in Caithness.
Sergeant Major Instructor Stuart Taggart (32), from 1st Battalion The Highlanders, was presented with a Lord-Lieutenant's Certificate of Meritorious Service.
SMI Taggart has been part of the battalion since 2011, having previously been a cadet himself in Northern Ireland.
He started volunteering as an adult instructor at the Culloden detachment, where he was appointed commander in 2018, and the following year family commitments brought him to Caithness. Stuart wanted to continue volunteering with the cadets and transferred to the Thurso detachment, where he was also appointed as the detachment’s commander.
Throughout lockdown last year SMI Taggart became a well-known face throughout the Army Cadet Force by co-hosting weekly interviews, along with fellow instructor Second Lieutenant Daisy Burnside, from Culloden, on the battalion’s YouTube channel.
The interviews, conducted over a 13-week period, saw them speak to various individuals from the cadet force – from the battalion’s own personnel to high-profile members of the organisation including author and TV personality Big Phil Campion, who is the national champion of the Army Cadet Force.
On top of his morale-boosting activities, he was ensuring that the cadets of the battalion – which covers the Highlands, Moray, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland – were progressing with their normal cadet training. Stuart helped to deliver the battalion’s online training programme.
He also played his part in hosting fun activities for the cadets of Caithness Company, such as bingo evenings. Many cadets would not have seen each other until the schools returned if these sessions had not been being put together.
SMI Taggart was presented with his certificate by the Caithness Company commander, Major Neil McLean, in front of the local cadets.
1st Battalion the Highlanders ACF is a youth organisation which provides adventure, sporting and community activities aiming to inspire young people to achieve success in live while having fun at the same time.