Police Cadets In Charity Fundraiser

Local teenager helps raise cash for injured soldiers

A Volunteer Police Cadet (VPC) from Shepherd's Bush has helped raise hundreds of pounds for a charity that supports service men and women injured in battle.

18-year-old Giorgi Makharashvili was among a group of cadets who presented a cheque for £1,000 to the Help for Heroes charity last week.

The cadets raised the money by taking up a collection during their 21st anniversary parade last June, an event that saw 1,500 cadets from across London fall-in at Horse Guards Parade. They nominated Help for Heroes as a gesture to the soldiers based at Wellington Barracks in Westminster, which the cadets used as a base for the day.

“Marching on Horse Guards Parade was a once-in-a- lifetime experience. We put in a huge number of hours practising drill and marching to make sure we got it right on the day," said Makharashvili.

“We wanted to show our appreciation to the soldiers at Wellington Barracks so we decided to collect for Help for Heroes, alongside our other nominated charities, to mark the occasion,” added the Shepherd's Bush teenager.

Sarah Walker, London Volunteer Co-ordinator for Help for Heroes, said the charity was very grateful for the money: “It is a great honour to receive this cheque today and I would just like to say a huge thank you to all the cadets and everyone who donated so generously to Help for Heroes,” she said.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Volunteer Police Cadets is a voluntary, uniformed youth organisation for 14-18-year-olds from across London. They say they welcome cadets from London's diverse communities, regardless of their background or financial circumstances - including those vulnerable to crime or social exclusion.

Cadets meet once a week in their borough and take part in drill, physical and team building activities. They learn about crime prevention, policing and community issues as part of their ongoing training and can also attend weekend or school holiday activities and take part in camping or adventure weeks in different parts of the UK or even abroad.

For more information on the Volunteer Police Cadets, please visit their website .

6 December 2009