THE Army has a new officer in charge of recruitment in Darlington.

Warrant Officer Class 2 Mick O'Reilly has been appointed office manager of the Armed Forces Careers Office, in Northgate.

WO2 O'Reilly, originally from Coventry, left school with few qualifications but has continued with his education throughout the 24 years of his Army career, gaining a number of professional qualifications.

His appointment comes at the time of year when many youngsters who have recently taken GCSEs will be making career choices.

He said: "This is a key time for recruitment, and I am hoping to be able to use my personal experiences to encourage other youngsters to consider an Army career.

"Since enlisting over 20 years ago, I have experienced a fantastic quality of life, earned a very good salary, furthered my education and lived and worked in so many different places around the world that other people could only dream off."