Sunderland pupil meets King Charles as cadet group gets the royal seal of approval

Southmoor Academy pupil Luke Maven enjoyed a meeting with King Charles after his cadet group was invited to a celebratory event in St James’s Palace in London.

Luke and other members of Southmoor Academy Cadets were invited as one the benefactors of The Prince of Wales Charitable fund, in recognition of the positive impact the organisation is having on youngsters in the local community.

Sixth Form student Luke, 17, said: "This was an absolute highlight of my cadet career and life so far. It was great to hear people speak of the amazing work happening up and down the country and even more amazing to know that Southmoor was a small part of that larger jigsaw.

"Meeting His Majesty is not something I’ll forget in a hurry." 

Luke was joined at the celebratory event during the summer holidays by his cadet group leader James Yeo and instructor Steven Carney.

James, 35, who was an RAF reservist, said: "We had no idea that King Charles was actually going to be there and when he arrived it was totally unexpected.

"He went around and chatted with all the representatives. He spoke to myself, Luke and Steven. He asked what we did and how long it had taken to travel down from Sunderland.

"It was a wonderful experience and great to meet other people doing similar work.

"Luke was selected to represent our cadet group as he been involved since we started in 2021 and has played a key role in setting everything up."

Southmoor Cadets were selected after James submitted a report to The Prince of Wales Charitable fund outlining the work they do with the youngsters.

James said: "The King's representatives mush have been impressed with what was in the report as that is why we got the invite.

"The cadets have recently been for their first flying experiences at RAF Leeming. They got a 30 to 40 minute air experience, including the chance to take the controls."

The cadet group currently has around 30 students from Year 8 to Sixth Form. The group meet every Monday from 3.30pm to 5:35pm in Southmoor House.