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Royal honour for cadet Lewis
Proud cadet Lewis Waude was given the Royal seal of approval when he visited Buckingham Palace.
The regimental sergeant major, from Horden, was selected to take part in the national launch of a year of celebrations marking the 150th Anniversary of the cadet force.
The 18-year-old pupil at Byron Sixth Form College, part of St Bede's Catholic Comprehensive School, in Peterlee, was one of 26 cadets who travelled to London for the event.
Lewis, a member of Durham Army Cadet Force's Horden detachment, met the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace before visiting Downing Street for a tour of No 10.
"I had some of the best bits of my life crammed into one day," said Lewis, who plans to go to university next year ahead of joining the Army.
"Meeting the Queen was a great honour and I couldn't believe how big 10 Downing Street was. It was massive, a real Tardis.
"I was really proud to be selected for this. It was a great achievement."
From the Cabinet Room, the party moved to No 11 Downing Street where Maggie Darling, the wife of Chancellor Alistair Darling, welcomed them and showed them round.
Later, Lewis attended a glittering reception at Lancaster House, hosted by the Ulysses Trust and the Council of Reserve Forces and Cadets' Associations.
Held in support of the Cadet150 expedition to Lesotho, in southern Africa, in July, it also included guests from the military top brass and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
Brigadier Mike Wharmby, general secretary of the Army Cadet Force Association, said: "We are delighted to be celebrating 150 years of this fantastic movement.
"The Cadet Forces offer such great opportunities for thousands of young people across the UK."
Cadet150 events held throughout this year will include a royal review of the Cadet Forces at Buckingham Palace in July and expeditions to the Himalayas, Nigeria, the Italian Dolomites, Peru, the USA, Kenya and Nigeria.
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Weather for Sunderland
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
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Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
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