A ONCE-in-a-lifetime cruise took an adventurous Worcester man to the Falklands as islanders prepared to celebrate the 25th anni-versary of the war.

Garnett Alderson, of St Oswald's Hospital, Worcester, had been expecting a quiet three- week cruise around South America to celebrate the year of his 65th birthday.

Instead, he was greeted by crowds preparing to celebrate the anni-versary of the Falk-lands War, which began on April 2, 1982.

Mr Alderson said: "When we booked the cruise we didn't realise it was going to be such an important year.

The people we met there were ecstatic. They are very proud people on the Falkland Islands and they are certainly very proud to be British."

As the ship was leaving the Falklands on Friday, March 30, HMS Edinburgh was pulling in and Buccaneer aircraft were flying over the islands Mr Alderson said: "All the sailors were on the side of the ship wearing their dress uniforms, waving to us as we were sailing out."

During the cruise Mr Alderson and three friends were presented with certificates marking their passage around the Cape Horn, their ship, the Norweg-ian Crown, being buffeted by a 135mph gale.

Mr Alderson, a volunteer crucifier, server and Eucharist assistant at Worcester Cathedral, said: "We were all frightened because of the size and number of waves hitting the boat. I would not have believed a cruise boat could have been knocked around so much."