THE Prime Minister is expected to attend a parade in honour of Falklands veterans in Worcester but Margaret Thatcher has pulled out.

Gordon Brown has been invited as a guest of honour at the 25th anniversary Commemorative Parade in the city on Saturday, October 27.

Gordon Brown has told organisers, Business Connections 4 North Worcestershire, that he "firmly expects" he will attend although final confirmation has yet to be given.

However, Margaret Thatcher, who led the country during the war in 1982, will no longer be able to attend to take the salute during the parade.

Organisers have yet to give a reason for her no-attendance.

Cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber will also be performing two pieces of music during a service at Worcester Cathedral on the day.

Falkland veterans, including Simon Weston who suffered severe burns aboard the Sir Galahad during the war, are expected to come from all over the country.

Other dignitaries invited include Michael Brinton, Lord-Lieutenant for Worcestershire, Stephen Inman, mayor of Worcester and Sara Jones and Freda McKay, the widows of two Victoria Cross winners from the conflict.

Organisers expect 1,000 people to take to the streets led by the veterans who fought in the conflict.

Ken Wingfield, chairman of Business Connections 4 North Worcestershire which is helping to co-ordinate the event, said: "It's certainly one of the biggest events in Worcester for a long time. The honour that it brings to the city to have even the interest let alone the presence of the Prime Minister is a tremendous opportunity for the city. The event will support charities that provide continued assistance to those veterans that suffered and still suffer as a result of the conflict."

The parade led by the band of the Royal Marines begins at Worcester's riverside near the junction of Copenhagen Street and Quay Street before moving along Broad Street and High Street in front of Worcester's Guildhall and on to College Green.

Organisers are still trying to devise a way for a cascade of poppies to fall on the heads of veterans and it is hoped that a peel of bells will ring across Worcestershire and the rest of the country in scenes not witnessed since the end of World War Two.

Representatives of the Mercian Regiment will be there although it is unlikely they will be from the 2nd battalion, formerly the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, as many troops are still serving in Afghanistan.

Gurkhas will also parade in the city, it is believed for the first time in its history.

The money raised on the day will be split between the Falklands Veterans Foundation, the South Atlantic Medal Association (SAMA 82), Combat Stress which helps soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and St Richard's Hospice in Worcester.

Organisers also hope the day will provide a dramatic kick-start to the Royal British Legion poppy appeal.

The commemoration, now an official Ministry of Defence event, is being held in Worcester because it was originally a Worcester-based group that took the initiative in marking the anniversary.

The original idea came from the Worcester Trafalgar Commemorative Group to celebrate the achievements and sacrifices of troops.