A FORMER Ledbury teacher has been snapped up by Champions League finalists Manchester City.

Lee Jones is taking up the role of house parent at the Premier League champions, a role that looks after player welfare and support.

Mr Jones has enjoyed a successful 30-year teaching career, including as assistant head and head of sixth form at John Masefield High School, Ledbury, for 10 years.

The new post means he will leave his current role as a geography teacher at Monmouth School for Girls where he has coached football and even golf during his decade there.

He heads off for the Etihad today (Friday, May 28) and said: “I am very sad to be leaving and will miss the people, repartee, pupils and the whole wider school community.

“I enjoyed organising staff social football and cricket matches between our two senior schools because it was a wonderful way to build relationships and friendships between people from different departments and schools which I think is really important.

“The opportunity to work at Manchester City is an exciting one and is a new challenge which will hopefully take me around the world and allow me to indulge my passion for the beautiful game.”

Monmouth School for Girls headmistress Jessica Miles said: “Mr Jones has carried out all his roles with passion, commitment and sartorial elegance. Latterly he has also been throwing himself in to running the boarding camps for our boarders, with his partner, Julie Ann.

“These have proved to be enormously successful and provided our boarders who have been unable to get home with care, fun and many happy memories.

“My thanks and warm wishes to Lee for all that he has contributed to the life of the school. We wish him all the very best for the future.”