Jess West is the latest recruit to Sport Pembrokeshire in County Hall, charged with the remit to get young people more actively involved in sport, especially with regard to outdoor activities - and has the ideal CV for the role because she has enjoyed a whole range of leisure activities since she was a nipper!

"My official title is the 'Get Out, Get Active' Activator and I am really looking forward to the challenge, especially with regard to encouraging anyone with a disability to discover their niche in what the county has to offer them, sports-wise.

"We have a rich diversity of clubs across the sporting spectrum and some wonderful natural resources like beaches, rivers, hills and coastal path to implement, alongside our regular sports."

Jess's work is funded by the Big Lottery 'Spirit of 2012' Fund which aims to help recreate the spirit of the London Olympics, with Pembrokeshire as one of only three Welsh areas chosen out of 18 in the UK to receive the funding.

"In Wrexham the focus is to encourage girls and young women," explained Jess, "and in Rhondda Cynon Taf the emphasis will be placed on the deprived areas, whilst in our county it will be centred on young people in outdoor activities."

Jess's initial task is one of a discovery process where she starts mapping out what is already available, what needs a bit of a polish and what needs to be introduced - and start building from there.

"I have already been impressed by clubs' commitment over a wide range of sports and activities, the commitment of our leisure centres, voluntary workers and accessibility - and I hope mine will be a fresh pair of eyes to see what can be built on an already-firm foundation.

"Above all, I want it to be inclusive, active and, above all else, simply good fun!"

Jess would readily admit that when she saw the job description she was hugely excited about the remit it offered and applied almost straight away.

She was delighted to find herself short-listed by an interview panel of four and when offered the job accepted it immediately, with Disability Sport Wales as her employer, with support from 'Young Voices', who work with young people who have a disability.

"I have already received terrific encouragement from Ben Field, who manages Sport Pembrokeshire, and Lois Hilling, who is my mentor, plus the rest of the Sport Pembrokeshire team.

"They have helped settle me in and my first physical role was in helping them to paint the clubhouse and scorebox at Llandigige Fawr, the home of Llanrhian Cricket Club, which was really good fun."

Just how diverse Jess's own sporting involvement is can be gauged from the fact that although she played traditional 'girlie' sports like netball and hockey in school her interests were much wider indeed.

As a nipper she swam for Ysgol Gyfan Newcastle Emlyn, in the Dyfed Championships, mainly in freestyle but over a range of distances.

Jess also loved horses and took part in Pony Club events on a pony borrowed from a friend - and sailed dinghies when she lived in Hampshire.

"I'm definitely an outdoor girl," she admitted,” with surfing as another interest, although it tends to be mainly in fine weather now in Pembrokeshire, principally as a means of relaxation on my basic board, which to be honest is almost like sitting on a sofa!

"I also have a short board as well, which I must admit challenges me much more to stay upright!

"In my younger days I also enjoyed tetrathlon, which involved swimming, shooting, horse-riding and running, which again was great fun."

Her open water skills certainly helped when she got a job with the RNLI in Northern Ireland, working as a lifeguard on local beaches and getting involved in surf life-saving events.

"My other leisure interests are Pilates and yoga; activities I would recommend as part of a whole well-being feeling."

All of this is bound to have a positive impact on Jess's approach to work because she firmly believes that using our natural resources can only be beneficial.

"There is also a great commitment to voluntary work in the sports' sector, whilst local businesses and other organisations seem eager to get involved in promoting the range of sports so if we can build on the good will it is bound to pay dividends.

"We will need to look at the fact that a lack of transport in some rural areas gives a feeling of isolation, so we need to study this so that we can make provision for as many people as possible in this area, no matter what age or physical attributes they have."

Lois Hilling, her line manager, told us: "Jess has a flair for motivating others and we are pleased that she is already undertaking a lot of the ground work that is necessary to encourage more participation, as a very positive start.

"She is clearly enthusiastic about her role and we are really looking forward to seeing the outcomes."

At the moment Jess is employed for 21 hours per week and is ready for the hard work ahead, knowing that there is a lot of travel around the county in prospect - but she is definitely ready to be heavily involved at Sport Pembrokeshire.

Sport Pembrokeshire manager Ben Field told us: "We were hugely impressed that almost before her contract began she was ready to literally get her hands dirty with some painting chores as we set out to complete our annual challenge to help a club in our community. She is clearly going to be an asset to our work for some time to come."

High praise indeed from someone who knows his stuff so we can only join him in wishing Jess West all the best in her new role because like him we couldn't help but be impressed by her enthusiasm, commitment and pleasant manner!