A young air cadet from East Ham has been appointed one of three Lord Lieutenant’s Cadets.

Cadet Flight Sargeant Kenneth Kirabira, 18, from 282 (East Ham) Squadron Air Training Corps was appointed by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir David Brewer who is the Queen’s Representative in London. He was chosen from 1,400 cadets in the London area and received the award at the Greater London Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association’s Spring Meeting and Awards Ceremony held recently in central London.

The Lord Lieutenant appoints young people from each of the armed services to serve for one year as Lord Lieutenant’s Cadets. These Cadets are chosen in conjunction with the RFCA and are the star cadets in the various cadet forces.

During their year as Lord Lieutenant’s Cadets they will accompany him on a wide range of his duties such as Royal visits and other special engagements.

Cadet Flight Sergeant Kirabira said: “I am very surprised but extremely happy. This award means a lot to me as I know there are very few cadets in the corps with this award and I feel a great sense of pride and achievement, especially with this being the 70th Anniversary for the ATC.”

He is a student at Newham Sixth Form College, where he is taking his A-levels and has been a member of the ATC for almost five years. His ambition is to be a commercial pilot - a desire he has had from a very young age. Being in the ATC has brought him a step closer to realising his dream as he recently completed a gliding and flying scholarship course.

Pilot Officer Chris Booty RAFVR (T), 282 (East Ham) Squadron Commander said: “Flight Sergeant Kirabira is all that the Air Cadets represent. He has developed into a most able and self-confident individual who has worked his way up through the ranks. He has become an excellent role model for his cadets. He has also worked very hard in increasing the Squadron cadet numbers and helped run a very efficient recruit programme during the autumn of 2010. He recently completed his Gliding Scholarship (achieving Solo standard) and won an Air Cadet Flying Scholarship operated by the RAF. In addition to this he has helped to raise over �9,000 for his Squadron in the past two years.”