Year 8 pupil, Shaun, along with peers from Alnmouth Sea Scout Troop (ASST) were chosen to represent UK Scouting at the National VE Day Celebrations at Horse Guards Parade on Thursday 8th May.
Lead Volunteer at ASST, Graeme Popay explains: “The atmosphere in London was electric! The eight Sea Scouts and two leaders from 1st Alnmouth Sea Scout Troop were immaculately turned out in their uniforms and were immensely proud to be representing Northumberland.
The young people were initially a little bit overwhelmed and perhaps a bit nervous in such a big city, for some it was their first time in London, but they soon relaxed when they were greeted by the smiling faces, waves and shouts of “Hello Scouts” from tourists and office workers in London, we lost count of the number of people who told us that they were Scouts when they were younger and how very smart we all looked.”
The concert to commemorate 80 years since VE Day, included a speech from His Majesty King Charles III, performances of music from the 40’s, as well as firsthand account stories of World War II and VE Day.
Scout Leader, Graeme continues: “We cheered the Royal Family and applauded and waved flags after His Majesty the King’s very moving speech. We got several shout outs from Zoe Ball who fronted the show.”
When asked what the highlights of the event were for him, Shaun said: “A couple of the veterans and evacuees who spoke at the event were over 100 years old! It was interesting to hear their stories and learn about their experiences from that time.
We also got to wear these cool wrist bands that light up in the colours of the union jack; I will have to see if there is any drone footage from this as I bet all the colours and lights looked amazing.”
Congratulations from everyone at JCSC to Shaun and his scout group for taking part in this monumental and historic occasion.
(Photos below provided by Graeme Popay.)
