Former Sea Cadets commanding officer Brian Bell

Brian Bell, a former commanding officer of Cardenden Sea Cadets, has passed away after a short illness at the age of 52.

Born and brought up in the village, Mr Bell attended Auchterderran School before training as a butcher with the Co-op as a teenager.

When he was about 18, he started work at Cardenden Casting Company, where he was a gravity die caster for two decades.

Mr Bell most recently worked as a shopping trolley engineer a job that took him all around the UK.

He became involved with the sea cadets during the 1980s.

Among his contributions to the club were supervising excursions and teaching young people canoeing and power boating.

In his spare time he was also a keen fly-fisher and spent holidays pursuing his hobby among the Scottish hills.

Less than two months ago, Mr Bell was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer.

He passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday.

Mr Bell is survived by his wife Joyce, three daughters and six grandchildren.