A ROYAL Navy recruit from Accrington is on course for a life at sea after completing his basic training at HMS Raleigh in Cornwall.

Trainee Submariner Leon Stewart, 21, joined the Royal Navy in March and has now completed nine weeks of intensive training to give him the basic skills he will rely upon throughout his service career. The former pupil of Ribblesdale High School, Clitheroe, previously worked as a travel sales adviser. He said: “I joined the Royal Navy for a long and rewarding career. Being selected as class leader was the highlight of the course. My main ambition is to earn my submarine dolphins and have a successful career.”

With the first phase of his training complete Leon has transferred to the Royal Navy Submarine School, which is also based at HMS Raleigh, to learn how to operate beneath the waves.