GLORIOUS sunshine bore down on Gurkhas from the Infantry Battle School in Brecon as they took part in the 33rd annual Gurkha Brecon Freedom Parade last weekend.
Families who came out on Sunday to watch the spectacle were treated to military displays and cultural performances in temperatures that touched 25C, making it one of the hottest days of the year.
The soldiers are all based in the Gurkha Wing (Mandalay) at Dering Lines.
There was musical support from the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas and two pipers from the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles.
The mayor of Brecon, Cllr Manny Trailor, inspected the parade along with the High Sheriff of Powys David Price, deputy chief of staff Maj Narendra Gurung, Lt Col Shaun Chandler and Nepalese ambassador Dr Durga Bahadur.
The parade has been a key annual event in Brecon since the Gurkha Demonstration Company was awarded Honorary Citizenship of Brecon on November 21 1985 in honour of their service. The first parade was held in May 1986 and the tradition has continued ever since. The company was retitled as a Gurkha Company (Mandalay) in September 2004.
Cllr Trailor said: “I really enjoyed it. It went really well and, as always, it’s a good part of the job getting to attend the parade.
“The Nepalese community really are a wonderful credit to the town.”