Ammanford special chief officer among finalists in St David Awards

Cairn Newton-Evans from Ammanford has been shortlisted in the Citizenship category in the national awards for Wales.

They acknowledge the extraordinary achievements of people in or from Wales and recognise the great deeds and contributions made by people from all walks of life.

Announcing the finalists, First Minister Carwyn Jones said: “The St David Awards, now in their fourth year, are all about celebrating people who have gone the extra mile to make a difference to someone else’s life, overcome adversity or achieved something truly inspirational."

When Cairn, was 17 years old he was the victim of a homophobic hate crime. He was brutally attacked which resulted in him needing surgery. Rather than focus on the negative side of things, Cairn decided to join the Police service so that he could stop this kind of attack happening to others.

When he turned 18, he joined the Special Constabulary as a volunteer and unpaid special constable. He has also served as a special constable, special sergeant, and special inspector and more recently he was promoted to special chief officer for Dyfed-Powys Police, the highest rank possible within the Special Constabulary and, at the age of 25, is the youngest chief officer in the UK.

He dedicates 40-50 hours a month of his free time to the service of his community.

Cairn, a second year BA law and public service student, is a passionate advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. He’s a trained hate crime support officer and the deputy lead of the Dyfed Powys Police LGBT Staff Network and has also established an LGBT social and support project in Carmarthenshire to support and counsel people.

Cairn also volunteers with the RAF Cadets and the Police Cadets. Cairn volunteers because of his sense of duty and dedication to champion LGBT rights and to prevent what happened to him from happening to his fellow citizens.

He said: “The role of a police officer especially that of a member of the Special Constabulary is unique, and one that has given me a wide breadth of experience in public service and in a leadership capacity.

"I’m very honoured and humbled to be nominated and shortlisted for the St David Award, Citizenship category 2017, for a role that I am so passionate about. I am very lucky to serve my community on a daily basis and turning a negative experience into a positive one to help others is something that I am very proud about and is something I wouldn’t be able to do without the continued support of my family, friends and colleagues."

Pontardawe fire crew are also up for a bravery award.

In July 2016, the fire crew were called to a house which was on fire with two young boys trapped inside. The crew battled dangerous conditions and 800 degree heat to save one of the children, a three year old boy, from the fire. The second child was also recovered from the property but tragically died.

The prompt arrival of the fire engine, the rapid processing of information at the scene, and the quick execution of a safe tactical plan meant that the life of a 3 year old child was saved. Without the sum of all of their actions and bravery, it is not possible to foresee how the three year old would have survived the incident.