A FORMER Royal Navy officer has taken on the role as district governor for Cumbria and Lancashire.

Larry Branyan, who lives in Capernwray, has been a Rotary member since 2006 and a town councillor for Carnforth since 2015.

He has served as president of Carnforth Rotary Club, on various district committees and chaired the District Projects Committee and District Administration Committee.

He has been editor of the district magazine and was an assistant governor from 2014-2016 and is now the governor for the 68 clubs in District 1190.

Mr Branyan, 59, said that being a member of Rotary gave him a 'sense of achievement'.

"What we are aiming to do is go and leave this world a better place," he said. "It's a noble aim and at the end of the day we may not achieve it but that's ultimately one of our goals."

The district governors main roles include growing membership, acting as spokesperson for the district, conduct meetings and develop a safe environment for youth participants.

He served in the Royal Navy for 26 years as a commissioned officer in ships ranging from a patrol craft to an aircraft carrier. He had various roles and later retrained as a specialist in communication and information systems.

Now, with a business to run, a family life to maintain and other interests such as walking, clay pigeon shooting and photography Mr Branyan said he was looking forward to the time consuming role with 'some trepidation' but was proud to take it on.

"This time next year I want to be feeling good and like we have hopefully improved the world and made it a better and nicer place to be," he said.