Following our Christmas event, it was within a matter of days that we were all lining up in Westminster with our bus and military Land Rover to take part once again in the annual London New Year’s Day Parade. There were over 10,000 people, young and old taking part, as well as thousands lining the route.

Again this year, participants included many associations and other charitable groups, military bands, endless vehicles and floats and countless different groups of cheerleaders and marching bands from high schools in the USA. All in all, a wonderful and colourful sight to see.

It was a cold and brisk day, but bright and sunny. Marching along in the parade with our collection buckets, we all kept warm. We were blessed in our veterans’ contingent of also having the Naval Band of the cadets from Training Ship Broadsword, as well as a group of standard bearers from the Legion and other associations. We were greeted at the end of the 

parade by Cllr. John Marshall, the Worshipful the Mayor for the London Borough of Barnet.

We managed to collect £407 from the crowds, and were delighted to learn that our own Mayor for the London Borough of Barnet was awarded £1,000 for his charities, Barnet Carers Centre and Chai Cancer Care, for our contingent in the parade.