Wing Commander Pheric Thrussell has received his British Empire Medal from the Lieutenant Governor.

He has led the 440 (1st Manx) Squadron since 1982 having first joined the joined the Air Training Corps (ATC) as a civilian instructor in 1977.

Mr Thrussell was presented with his honour at Government House by Sir Richard Gozney.

He said he was ’absolutely delighted and very humbled especially as the award nomination came from the Isle of Man’.

He added: ’It was a wonderful occasion with all my family and friends being able to attend.’

Having led the 440 since 1982, Mr Thrussell has seen the island’s cadet forces expand significantly under his leadership.

Beginning with a small group of one adult and 10 cadets, the group has risen to be one of the biggest squadrons in the ATC, with more than 100 cadets and 18 staff spread across the island.

He also leads the Combined Cadet Force contingent which is a joint unit between King William’s College and Castle Rushen High School.

He said that none of this would have been possible without his family, especially his wife Andrea, who he praised during the ceremony at Government House.

He said: ’I could not have committed so much time to cadets over many years without the support of my family, especially Andrea who supported me and looked after the family whilst I was away on camps and courses and running the parade evenings two nights a week.

’But I also enjoy a great deal of support from the senior cadets and the adult instructors and civilian committee, several of whom are former cadets in the squadron.’

Mr Thrusell’s time as leader of 440 also provided him with the opportunity to achieve other accolades.

He said: ’Apart from receiving the BEM, my greatest personal achievement was being the first staff member of any cadet organisation to complete the vocational Masters degree level award in youth management and was nominated as the best student that year, which was a accolade for me and the Isle of Man.’