A TEACHING assistant who volunteers with the Army Cadets will be among those attending the royal wedding next month.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tie the knot on May 19 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Nicola Pettinger, who works at Jump Primary, has been selected as one of the 2,600 who will be there in the grounds to welcome the royal couple, and while she won’t be in the chapel for the ceremony, she’ll be right outside and able to watch it on a big screen.
She is one of just two people from Barnsley selected to go.
“I was shopping in B and M when I got the call from the Lord Lieutenant’s office saying I’d be receiving an invitation,” said Nicola, 38, of Worsbrough Road, Blacker Hill.
“The class teacher I work with nominated me, she was very sneaky and I had no idea. I was quite shocked.
“But I’m really happy and really looking forward to it.
“I visited Windsor Castle with the family a couple of years ago and we thought it was fantastic.”
Nicola is also an adult volunteer for the Army Cadets, a role she has done for 19 years since she was a cadet herself. She will be taking husband Darren with her to the wedding. The couple have six children between them.
Teacher Katie Barker said: “I saw an advert online asking for nominations of people who do lots for their community, and I couldn’t think of anyone better.
“Nic works with my year one class and works with some children who have additional needs. I honestly couldn’t run year one without her. She is fantastic.
“Then she goes home and does all this work for the cadets, giving young people new experiences and teaching them new skills, she’s worked with thousands of cadets over the years.
“She’s also got a huge family and does so much for them too, she does it all without any real reward and I felt strongly she deserved some recognition.”
