A ROYAL Navy petty officer from Kilwinning has won a prestigious naval prize.

Petty Officer Colin Hunter has walked away with the Herbert Lott Award for Efficiency. The 44-year-old was presented with a cheque for £150 by Captain Mark Gayfer, Superintendent Fleet Maintenance at HMNB Clyde, for a range of improvements he introduced in his work as a store man in the south end repair afloat workshop.

PO Hunter is due to leave to the navy next spring, said: “I am very proud to have been given this recognition, especially since I’m about to go and begin a civilian engineering career in Abu Dhabi. I also get married in April – so that’s the cheque spent already!” His citation for the Award said: “PO Hunter has demonstrated what can be achieved by taking a huge amount of pride in his place of work. He had already received a Babcock Safety Through Action and Recognition (STAR) card for his efforts, and has completely outshone all store men that have preceded him and he fully deserves a Herbert Lott efficiency award.” Captain Gayfer added: “PO Hunter has been rightly rewarded for his efforts. He is an inspirational example of leadership and initiative and he has demonstrated to the more junior members of his team what can be achieved by setting standards high and then delivering to them.”