CCF Commander meets the Queen

Lt Col Mike Hampshire, Commander of the College's Combined Cadet Force (CCF), was honoured to meet Her Majesty the Queen as part of the Cadet 150 celebrations, marking 150 years since the cadet movement first started.

Mike took part in the Cadet 150 launch day on February 17^th, when he accompanied 26 specially selected cadet ambassadors from all parts of the country to Buckingham Palace. The Queen, who is Captain General of the CCF and patron of Epsom College, and The Duke of Edinburgh welcomed the cadets, who were drawn from all four cadet forces - the CCF, which is run through schools, the Army Cadet Force, the Sea Cadets Corps and the Air Training Corps.

Following lunch at the Ministry of Defence, the group walked to Downing Street for an exclusive tour of No 10, the Cabinet Room and No 11. "It was a tremendous honour to be selected to take part in this truly amazing series of events," said Mike.

The Cadet Corps was formed to help bolster the country's defence numbers following heavy losses in the Crimean War. Some 131,000 current cadets will be taking part in 150^th anniversary events across the country and overseas. The 25,000 adult volunteers, as well as the hundreds of thousands of former cadets and volunteers who have been part of the movement over the years, will also be recognised through Cadet 150.

The College will continue Cadet 150 celebrations at AGI Day on Wednesday 17^th March, which will be attended this year by the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines.