THE Commanding Officer of the Queen's Royal Hussars hopes the people of Worcester will give his team a warm welcome when they parade through the city's streets.

On Saturday, June 27, the regiment will exercise their right to parade through the streets for the first time since they were given the Freedom of the City last October.

From 11am around 220 soldiers will march from Quay Street in one of the biggest events taking place to mark National Armed Forces Day.

Accompanied by the Royal Engineers Band from Nottinghamshire, the parade will also include around 100 veterans from across the Midlands and 50 local Queen’s Royal Hussars cadets.

Lieutenant Colonel Alex Porter, said he is "excited" to parade and hopes people will take the chance to learn more about the cavalry which primarily recruits from the West Midlands area.

"The last time we paraded through Worcester was when we had just returned from six months in Afghanistan in 2012," Lt Col Porter said.

"We didn't know what to expect. You spend so long out there fighting, you sort of think that no one will care when you come home. But when we marched through Worcester, we were just blown away by the support we received. Crowds were lining the streets five people deep, and cheering and shouting for us. Some of the soldiers had tears in their eyes, we just can't believe how appreciative and supportive people were here. It was very special.

"We are just hoping there will be that sort of support when we march next Saturday and we hope people will support their local regiment."

The regiment dates back to the 1600s, and have fought in many battles over the years, including at the Battle of Waterloo, the 200th anniversary of which took place on Thursday.

After the march around the city, people can learn more about the Armed Forces at an event at Worcester Racecourse from 12.30pm to 4pm.

Lt Col Porter said: "We will have our Challenge 2 tanks available for people to look at and for kids to climb all over. People can learn how fast a tank can go, and can look at a DH3 Spy Plane. There will also be other activities and food and drink. Anyone interested in a career in the Armed Forces can learn more about that too."

Lt Col Porter joined the forces in 1996 at the age of 21, where he started as a mounted duty man, joining ceremonial parades on horseback through London. After training at Sandhurst he moved to Germany and has since completed tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo among other places.

"I joined the Armed Forces because I was after a sense of adventure and wanted to have pride in being part of a valued profession. The opportunities are still huge," he said.

"We are just so pleased to have been given the chance to do this."