'I only got into politics at the age of 40'

Born on the banks of Loch Lomond in Alexandria, he then moved to Blackpool at the age of 11 when his family bought a guest house.

He knew that he wanted to join the army from a young age; he became a marine cadet when he was 13-years-old and then joined the Scots Guards aged 16.

He said:

"After I passed out I was posted to Cyprus for just under two years.  I then went to Hounslow in London where I carried out my first of many royal duties.

"My first stint was as a guardsman, standing outside the palaces; you do St James's Palace, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London and Windsor Castle. You are also involved in State visits."

During his army career, Alf was posted to countries including Canada and Germany and he completed three tours of Northern Ireland.

He served for 24 years in the Scots Guards and attained the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2 before retiring in 2007.

Alf then went on to work for MP Ben Wallace, who at the time was the MP for Lancaster and Wyre, and who he had served with in the army.

Alf explained:

"There was a lot of trust there, we both knew each other well and had seen each other under pressure.

"I then voted for the first time at 40-years-old as I wasn't into politics at all before that.

"I believed at the time, when I was in the army, that I was a soldier so I was there to uphold the law of the day and the government of the day. In hindsight, I should have voted. You've got to use your vote and I believe that you have to vote when you're of legal age."

Alf then decided to stand as a candidate in the 2013 local election where he was elected as the County Councillor for Poulton-le-Fylde; a seat he has now retained for a fourth time.

He said:

"Poulton was always an aspirational place for me, so I was chuffed to get voted in and retain the seat four times.

"I had a lot of transferable skills from the army that helped when I started in politics like being able to talk to people, being confident and speaking in public, so the army did stand me in good stead.

"My wife, Lorna, was shocked that I was going into politics, but she was 100% behind me."

The couple have two children, Louise and Katie.

The family have a busy summer as Louise is getting married and Katie is due to give birth.

Alf is also looking forward to promoting Lancashire in his new role as Chairman.

He said: 

"I'm a great one for tradition so I want to try and get back to how things used to be and get Lancashire to celebrate what's good in it.

"I want to focus on good achievements, all the great work that's carried out whether it's voluntary or not, it's all about promoting Lancashire.

"Because I'm an adopted Lancastrian then I feel very close to Lancashire and it's a great honour for me to be sitting in this chair and I really intend to honour the chair and try and do my best in the role."

Cllr Clempson will be supported in his role as Chairman of Lancashire County Council this year by the new Vice Chairman, County Councillor Lee Hutchinson.