Romford scouts met paralympian during tour of Houses of Parliament

Romford scouts went to London to take in the sights of central London and tour the Houses of Parliament.

The 21 scouts, four explorers and 10 leaders from Romford 2nd Scouts even had the chance to meet Tanni Grey-Thompson, who has competed in five Paralympic Games and has racked up 11 gold, four silver and a bronze medal.

They met her in the Palace of Westminster and scout leader Alex Peatfield said: “She was very friendly and even posed for a photgraph with the group!

“Our tour took the same route that the Queen takes when she opens Parliament. The scouts learned about the history of the building as well as about the robing room, reception room and the House of Lords and House of Commons.”

The scout group also saw a new stained glass window created to mark the Diamond Jubilee and met Romford MP Andrew Rosindell, who took the group on the balcony overlooking the River Thames.

They later walked towards Buckingham Palace and down The Mall. Chris added: “As we walked down there were people everywhere lining an area that was cordoned off by police.

“We wondered what was going on and when we asked we found out that the Queen would be passing by within a few minutes. Everyone was very excited and all cheered and waved furiously as Her Majesty drove past and even gave us a wave back!”