A FORMER Delabole firefighter was royally invited to a very special garden party recently.

Former on-call station manager at Delabole Community Fire Station, Mark Saltern, and his wife Helen, were delighted to have been invited to Buckingham Palace in London on Wednesday, May 29 to attend the royal garden party.

The Post reported in January that Mark was nominated by assistant chief fire officer of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, Mark Hewitt, in recognition of his service during the North Cornwall floods and dedication in fundraising for the Firefighters Charity, during a career spanning a total of 32 years in the fire service.

Mark attended the garden party with his wife Helen — and with the rain holding off long enough, the couple were able to enjoy themselves in the presence of royal company.

“It was fantastic,” Mark said: “We were there for about two hours, which went quite quick. We went to Exeter and took the train to Paddington, then got a taxi to Buckingham Palace.

“It was brilliant. Everyone was there to enjoy themselves, and there were people there from all over the world. I think they said there was around 6,000 people in total.”

The Queen made an appearance at 4pm, followed by a number of notable royals, from Prince Harry to the Duke of Kent.

“We had to go into two lines so the royal family could walk through. Prince Harry came past us — it was his first tea party — so that was amazing,” Mark said: “The initial invite came from Mark Hewitt, the assistant chief fire officer of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, and I was quite surprised. He nominated me for my 32 years in the fire service, and my work during the North Cornwall floods and charity work for the Firefighters Charity.

“Overall, the atmosphere was brilliant and the rain held off. My wife Helen absolutely loved it, and she got to buy a new dress too!”