Four young police cadets from across Cambridgeshire were invited to attend The Lord Mayor’s Show and join the National Service of Remembrance Day parade service at the Cenotaph in London.
Having been selected from cadet groups across the country, it is the first time Cambridgeshire cadets have attended.
The lucky youngsters were Henry and Kieron both aged 16, alongside Olivia and Isra both 17.
Coming from a military background, the events were particularly poignant for cadet administrator Ally Wicking who joined them.
She said: “I cannot start to tell you how proud I am of the four cadets and the two staff I took with me.
“We were all shattered on Monday and trying to come back down from a complete high. The cadets have gone to school/college and the leaders are back to work.
We had an absolute blast. It didn’t really hit me until I got home what we had done.
"This was the first time we had ever taken part in these events and we will never forget the experience.”
Proud parents of the cadets also travelled to London on Friday night and lined the route for both the Lord Mayor’s Show and the Cenotaph on Sunday.
“The Cenotaph was an emotional day, and I cannot imagine that there are many people who don’t have a member of the armed services somewhere in their past or present family, who have served or are still serving," Ally added.
"It was an amazing opportunity for our young people to be part of – it’s living history.”
The Lord Mayor’s Show, meanwhile, is recognised as the oldest, longest and least-rehearsed civic procession in the world.
It dates back to the early 13th Century when a desperate King John granted that the City of London could appoint its own mayor.
He insisted that each newly-elected mayor come upriver to Westminster and swear loyalty to the Crown.
Meanwhile, Cambridgeshire cadet units who were not in London took part in remembrance events in Cambridge, Huntingdon, Ely, Peterborough and Wisbech.
Anyone aged 18 or over and interested in volunteering time to support cadets should email cadets@cambs.police.uk.
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