July 2, 2021
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An Army Cadet Force volunteer has received a Lord Lieutenant’s Certificate in recognition of his hard work to improve the lives of the young people of Caithness.
Sergeant Major Instructor Stuart Taggart (32), from 1st Battalion The Highlanders ACF, was presented with a Lord Lieutenant’s Certificate of Meritorious Service by Caithness Company Commander Major Neil McLean in front of the cadets of Caithness.
SMI Taggart (pictured) has been part of the Battalion since 2011, having previously been a cadet himself with the Army Cadets in Northern Ireland. Stuart started volunteering as an Adult Instructor at Culloden Detachment, where he was appointed the Detachment Commander in 2018. Due to family commitments Stuart moved up to Caithness in 2019, where he wanted to continue volunteering with the cadets, and transferred to Thurso Detachment where he was also appointed as Detachment Commander.
Throughout lockdown last year Stuart become a well known face throughout the ACF 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 personalities from the Cadet Force, from the Battalion’s own personnel, former cadets and even high profile members of the organisation including author and TV personality Big Phil Campion who is the National Champion of the ACF.
On top of his morale boosting activities, he was also ensuring that the cadets of the Battalion – which covers the Highlands, Moray, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland – had been progressing with their normal cadet training, with Stuart helping deliver the Battalion’s Online Training Programme. In addition, Stuart helped to host fun online activities for the cadets of Caithness Company, such as bingo evenings.
