A long-serving officer with Aberystwyth’s Sea Cadets has retired after 38 years of volunteering with the group.

Kelvin Jones started volunteering with the Sea Cadets in 1982, but at the age of 70 has decided to retire.

A former sea cadet himself, Kelvin’s time as a volunteer started when he popped down just to see how things were.

Kelvin said: “I went down to the unit in 1982 for a coffee and to see how they were getting on, as I was a cadet myself before I joined the Navy.

“Anyway, it turned into a very long cup of coffee, and now that I’m 70 it’s time to retire.”

During his time as a volunteer, Kelvin has carried out a range of activities with cadets and said that he had thoroughly enjoyed his time.

He said: “I have far too many good memories, but taking cadets to Nijmegen, going offshore for a week sea training, and generally watching youngsters develop maturely and overcome their fears to become responsible adults has to be a feel-good factor, but none of these would have happened without the help of all the volunteers who I’ve worked with over the years.

“As I’ve stated many times, if we’ve managed to assist with keeping youngsters on the straight and narrow, it’s been a success.”