VETERAN campaigner Terry Hutt led a party of pensioners to the House of Commons on Thursday before spending the night camped outside Windsor Castle. In a meeting with Royston s MP Oliver Heald and South Cambridgeshire MP Andrew Lansley, the Royston and Ca

VETERAN campaigner Terry Hutt led a party of pensioners to the House of Commons on Thursday before spending the night camped outside Windsor Castle.

In a meeting with Royston's MP Oliver Heald and South Cambridgeshire MP Andrew Lansley, the Royston and Cambridge Pensioners Action Groups voiced concerns over a number of local issues.

Issues raised included cuts to Royston fire-fighters and recently introduced bus passes.

Mr Hutt said: "The issues regarding the fire-fighters and free travel are close to my heart, local problems that I have been campaigning for, so I decided to address these problems while the rest of the group raised the other points."

These included health, benefits, housing and care.

Mr Hutt said the meeting had been "worthwhile".

"Mr Lansley told us that it may be possible to come together and he agreed with a lot of things that we were saying.

"Mr Heald took a copy of our agenda and we believe he will be in touch," said Mr Hutt.

"Our next move is to make an appointment with Mr Heald at his surgery, for a one-on-one chat regarding local concerns. In the meantime, we just hope they can both come together and solve our problems. The ball is in their court."

It was a busy couple of days for Mr Hutt, apart from holding talks with the MPs, he also met the Queen at her 80th birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle.

He spent the night camped on a bench outside of the castle's main gate, in the hope that he would grab a prime spot in the crowd - a spot that would enable him to present The Queen with his gifts.

After a 15-hour wait, he finally got his chance and presented The Queen with birthday cards and a bouquet of flowers, one that almost pulled her over. Mr Hutt explained: "After I'd wished her happy birthday I gave her the flowers, but told her that they were too heavy for her. But she took them anyway.

"As she turned she wobbled and almost fell over, her security staff had to leap forward and take them out of her hands."

Over the years, staunch royalist Mr Hutt has become a familiar face to the Queen. They first met more than 55 years ago.

He said: "She recognises me now, and knows me by the name of the Union Jack man.

"She may only ever say a few words, but what she does say is always special.