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Cadets in Long Sutton celebrate Armed Forces Day with St Mary's Church and Father Jonathan Sibley




Cadets cemented a bond with their town church at a special Armed Forces Day service.

St Mary’s Church in Long Sutton played host to the event, which celebrated members of the army from around the world last Sunday.

It was also deemed an appropriate time for the town’s Cadet Force to be ‘re-affiliated’ with its local Royal British Legion branch.

Celebrating Armed Forces Day at St Marys Church in Long Sutton (57650905)
Celebrating Armed Forces Day at St Marys Church in Long Sutton (57650905)

Members were given certificates and presented with badges to mark the occasion.

Around 30 cadets were in attendance, joining in with other visitors for the likes of Bible readings, hymns and prayers - some of which were dedicated to victims of the war in Ukraine.

Father Jonathan Sibley said: “We were very pleased. It was a good attendance.

Celebrating Armed Forces Day at St Marys Church in Long Sutton (57650916)
Celebrating Armed Forces Day at St Marys Church in Long Sutton (57650916)

“It was a lovely service, and we were able to use our new Welcome Hub in the church.

“All the cadets were really impressed and inspired by the service.”

They were joined by a number of special guests for the occasion.

These included Joshua Yarwood, a United Nations Emergency Coordinating Officer for the UK, who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine with the Boxes of Hope campaign.

Celebrating Armed Forces Day at St Marys Church in Long Sutton (57650912)
Celebrating Armed Forces Day at St Marys Church in Long Sutton (57650912)

Mandy Baxter has been among those spearheading the scheme in south Lincolnshire - and she was also in attendance at the Long Sutton event last weekend.

Mr Yarwood delivered a speech about both his own life and the work that different volunteers have been doing recently in the Eastern European nation.

Other guests included army officers, members of the official Cadet Force and figures from the Lincolnshire Royal British Legion.

Celebrating Armed Forces Day at St Marys Church in Long Sutton (57650909)
Celebrating Armed Forces Day at St Marys Church in Long Sutton (57650909)

Father Jonathan added that he is pleased the relationship between the church and local cadets is thriving.

They currently help with putting up Christmas lights - and they are learning to pull the church bells.



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