A TILLICOULTRY man who spent his youth getting in trouble says he has the cadets to thank for keeping him out of prison.

Shaun Murphy is an adult volunteer with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Army Cadet Force and he has been selected to go before the Cadet Force Commissioning Board to become an officer.

At the age of 24 he has already created two IT companies and now works for a leading software organisation.

As well as being an adult volunteer, he also runs the charitable volunteer giving programme and community outreach for his employer.

But it could have been a very different story if Shaun’s mum hadn’t forced him to join the cadets as a young teenager.

He had fallen in with a bad crowd and was getting into a lot of trouble at school.

Shaun said: “Being a cadet changed my outlook on life. The cadets gave me the leadership skills, focus and confidence to set up my own business at the age of 18.

"If I hadn’t I would probably be in prison like most of my former friends.

"As both a cadet and a volunteer I have been given the support to develop. The ACF funded me to study for my BTech in Public Services and the Level 3 Institute of Leadership and Management, as well as training me as a Duke of Edinburgh supervisor and assessor.

"I was able to become a trainer at work without having to study further because of my ACF experience and I run summer camps for kids interested in technology.”

In Scotland, there are currently over 220 Army Cadet groups, or detachments, with a network of over 4000 cadets and 850 adult volunteers.

However, the organisation is looking for more support and each additional volunteer in Scotland could help provide a further 10 young people the cadet experience that could transform their lives.

A spokesperson for the Army Cadet Force said: "Volunteers come from all sorts of backgrounds, but what joins them all together is their commitment to teaching young people to aim high and develop their abilities to become more independent, confident and able to step up to any challenge.

"Volunteers have the opportunity to take part in, supervise and organise all sorts of activities including sports competitions, local fetes, Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards expeditions and annual camps.

"You do not need any experience or knowledge of the armed forces but an interest in working with young people and helping them to shape their own futures is essential."

Those who are aged 18 and over, are physically fit, and eager to learn and share their skills can volunteer by visiting: armycadets.com/volunteer-with-us