The new Lord-Lieutenant's Cadets have just been announced. The two new cadets for County Antrim are:

* Cadet Staff Sergeant Ciara McKay, C Comp, 1st (NI) Bn ACF
* Cadet Corporal Ross Currie,  H Comp, 2nd (NI) Bn ACF

The Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mr David McCorkell, would like to congratulate the new cadets who were selected to represent the Army Cadets NI Battalion as Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant's Cadets for County Antrim.

The cadets will attend a ceremony at HM The Queen's official residence, Hillsborough Castle, where they will be presented with their certificate and badge of office by the Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mr David McCorkell.

To be a Lord-Lieutenant Cadet, you must be of the highest calibre and be nominated firstly by your Detachment Commander and Company Commander, the process moves on then when a meeting is convened by RFCA and attended by HM's Lord-Lieutenants and they select the cadet after reading their citation.

Each County has a Lord-Lieutenant, as well as the two County Borough's Belfast and Londonderry. The cadets will accompany their respective Lord-Lieutenants on official duties such as Remembrance Sunday and when members of the Royal Family come to Northern Ireland.

Lord-Lieutenant Cadets are selected from members of the Cadet Forces (Sea Cadet Corps, Combined Cadet Force, Army Cadet Force, Air Training Corps) so to be selected it is a great honour for the cadets their parents and adult staff.

The Lord-Lieutenant will have four cadets until September 2021, as the term of last year’s cadets has been extended by six months due to them being unable to attend events due to COVID19.

For further information, please see the Army Cadets website, please click here to view.

It was appropriate that on International Woman's Day that the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mrs Miranda Gordon, DL, should raise the flag in Antrim, as part of the Fly the Flag initiative organised by local borough councils to mark Commonwealth Day 2021. The Vice Lord-Lieutenant was joined in Antrim by the Mayor of Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, Councillor Jim Montgomery. 

The Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mr David McCorkell, took part in a similar event in Ballymena, organised by Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. He was joined by Mayor, Councillor Peter Johnson. See the video link below.

At the event, the Mayor ​also presented the Lord-Lieutenant with a plaque to congratulate him on his recent appointment as a Knight of The Order of St John.

Mayor Johnston said: “I would like to take this opportunity to send my congratulations to the Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mr David McCorkell. This is a prestigious appointment and reflects the significant work that David carries out right across the community. On behalf of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, I am delighted to share our best wishes on this important occasion.”

Full article can be viewed here.

It was announced today in the London Gazette that the Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mr David McCorkell, has been appointed by Her Majesty The Queen as a Knight of The Order of St John.

​
"The QUEEN has graciously pleased to sanction the following Promotions in, and Appointments to, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem with effect from 15 February 2021 the date of Her Majesty’s sign-manual.

COMMANDERY OF ARDS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

​As Knight
David William McCORKELL"

The full Gazette notice can be viewed here.