Cadets visit Houses of Parliament

Odsal ACF Detachment come to London

By personal invitation from Mr Gerry Sutcliffe, Home Office Minister for Sport, Culture Leisure & and MP for Bradford (South), ten cadets from Odsal Army Cadet Force were received at The Houses of Parliament for a grand internal tour of the stately building.

The invitation from Gerry came when he attended at Odsal ACF Detachment in April this year. Gerry was so impressed with the work the cadets do he thought they would enjoy the opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament to learn the history and gain an insight into who makes the country's decisions, where they are made, and why Parliament is so important to England.

The factual guide was led by David Stollerey, who recounted endless tales and information to the cadets stating that where Parliament now stands has been a centre of authority for over a thousand years. Once the home of the Royal Family, it is still officially a Royal Palace, and to this day is still referred to as "the Palace." Westminster Hall, being the oldest part of the Parliament buildings, was built in 1097.

David spoke of how the buildings that now make up the modern Houses of Parliament have developed through the years from design, accident and attack.

Once used as a law court, the hall has held several notable trials, including that of Sir William Wallace (1305), the Gunpowder Plot conspirators (1606) and King Charles I (1649).

Today the hall is often used for important State occasions such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee and the lying-in-State of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, both in 2002.

During the tour Gerry was entertained by some of the answers the cadets gave which David put to the cadets, the likes of "did they know who William Wallace was" which one of the girls answered without a flinch "of course, it was Mel Gibson"

The cadets and staff who attended returned home with a wealth of knowledge and were delighted when the invitation was further extended to a future tour inside Big Ben.

Staff Sergeant Ian Major and Detachment Commander for Odsal ACF said "this was a fantastic opportunity for the cadets and the relationship we are building with our MP for Bradford is great. Gerry really cares about the community in which we live or work and has shown a great deal of support for the ACF"