A TEENAGER celebrated his 18th birthday by becoming the world’s youngest member of a popular men’s organisation.

Just five minutes after his landmark birthday George Petty, from Basildon, become a fully-fledged member of his local Round Table branch.

He was inducted shortly after midnight by Mark House, national vice president of the organisation.

It was a special moment for George’s father Lee, who has been a member of Basildon Round Table since 1997. George said: “For as long as I can remember I have been helping Basildon Round Table fundraise for the local community, so I couldn’t wait to become an official member. It seemed the natural thing to do.

“When we realised I would turn 18 at midnight during one of the meetings, it was the ideal opportunity to be inducted as a fully-fledged member of Basildon Round Table.

“I am really looking forward to my future in Basildon Round Table and really hope other young people follow in my footsteps as it’s such a great organisation.”

Dad Lee, 46, added: “It was a very proud moment for me to have a family member follow in my footsteps in joining such a great young man’s organisation such as Round Table.

“I joined in the year George was born, so he has been brought up with Round Table and has always been actively involved in our events such as Basildon’s Fireworks Spectacular and the Santa Sleigh collection. A particular highlight for me was when he finally got to be Santa at the age of 16, once his voice was deep enough!

“He has been attending meetings regularly and decided he wanted to become a Tabler as soon as he could, so what better way than to extend our meeting to midnight!

“I believe George has the potential to go far within Round Table and hope he enjoys his time within it as much as I have. It would be lovely to see more youngsters follow in his footsteps.”

Round Table, which operates in 57 different countries, is open to men aged between 18 and 45, giving them the chance to make new friends and try new activities while  supporting their local community.