Former Wiltshire Special Constable celebrates 100th birthday
The county's force arranged for a special gift to be delivered to him
The Queen and Princess Anne were among some of the people to wish a former Wiltshire Police Special Constable a happy 100th birthday.
George Maidment, who now lives in Bognor Regis, hit a century last Sunday (20th December), receiving birthday cards aplenty.
He worked in Wiltshire's Special Constabulary between 1962 and 1980 as a Section Officer covering Tisbury and Mere.
After leaving the army, George dedicated much of his life to volunteer work, not just in policing but also in the wider community.
As a special present for George, Chief Constable Kier Pritchard and his staff created a homemade presentation box containing epaulettes with George's "shoulder" number, whistle and badge together with a personal card from Kier.
The Chief Constable said:
"What an amazing achievement on reaching 100!
To mark this very special occasion and to wish George a very happy birthday, we wanted to give him something personal and unique.
To dedicate so much of your life helping others is a true gift and George is a very special man in doing that.
Policing has changed a lot since he started in the 1960s but the spirit of willingness to help others by volunteering for the Force - as George did - is still alive today, and I'd like to think it's inspirational people like George who encourages other generations to follow in his footsteps.
Happy birthday George."
Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Angus Macpherson, said:
"What a lovely story at this time of the year - a much needed one to lift all of our spirits.
I echo what the Chief Constable says - it's people like George who inspires others to give back to their community. Something we've seen a lot this year and something we see so much in our police force.
Congratulations George on reaching your century."