Police Cadet shortlisted for national award
A volunteer police cadet from Blackpool who has dedicated hours of his time to supporting policing has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.
17-year-old Harry Snelson who lives in the Warbreck area has been nominated for a Lord Ferrers Award, which honours those who provide an outstanding contribution to policing through volunteer work.
He has been a police cadet for three years, working his way through the ranks and is now the Inspector of the north Blackpool unit.
Nikki Leigh, coordinator for the Blackpool and Fylde police cadets, nominated Harry for the award. She said: “Harry leads from the front. He’s helpful and kind to the newer cadets and commands the respect of the longer standing cadets who look up to him and seek his guidance.
“He has clocked up over 70 hours of volunteering since the beginning of May, taking part in charity fundraising, gardening, beach cleans, bike coding and countless other things. He is a wonderful example of a police cadet.
“Harry has also done a lot of work to celebrate diversity amongst our workforce. Based on his own experience of being transgender, he gave a talk to the police cadets talking about gender identity, encouraging people to be themselves. He has plans to continue to champion diversity in the workplace too and hopes to continue to share his personal experience amongst police officers and staff to evoke empathy and knowledge when dealing with the trans community.”
The awards are run by the Home Office. There are eleven award categories in total, with Harry being shortlisted for the Volunteer Police Cadet – Individual Award, which is awarded to those who have demonstrated a significant and sustained contribution to youth led social action in support of police or their communities.
The ceremony will take place in London on Thursday 14 October.
Harry said: “I enjoy sharing my experiences and helping my peers.
“Being nominated feels amazing and I’m very grateful. It shows that all of my hard work has paid off.”
Volunteer police cadets are aged between 13 and 18 and are based in local colleges across Lancashire, meeting one night a week. Cadets are taught basic knowledge in a variety of policing activities and the law, gaining an insight into road safety, first aid, personal safety, conflict management and problem solving.
West Divisional Commander Chief Supt Karen Edwards, who is also the strategic lead for the police cadets, said: “It is inspiring to see Harry using his personal experience to champion diversity and help others.
“We are very proud of Harry and commend him for all the fantastic work that he has done and continues to do. His actions are admirable and he should be an inspiration to other young people.”
Find out more about becoming a Police Cadet here.