CUMBRIA’S Army Cadet Force has decided who will become their new Regimental Sergeant Major.

Lucy Charlton has been named as the new RSM for the Army Cadets at the age of 17.

She will also be the first female to hold the rank in the last ten years.

Lucy currently attends Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton and is currently studying for her A-Levels. She hopes to join the Queen’s Royal Alexander Nursing Corps after doing a nursing degree in Birmingham.

Lucy said: “Both my brothers were in the cadets and I saw all the exciting things that they did on weekends and detachment nights. Both later went on to join the British Army and are still currently serving, following the footsteps of our dad, who was also in the army for 10 years.

Colonel Guy Harnby, the Commandant of Cumbria Army Cadets, said “Lucy is the perfect fit for this promotion and the appointment of being the senior Cadet in our County Army Cadet Force.

"She is the perfect role model for cadets.”