SCHOOLCHILDREN from across Southampton will turn out in their hundreds to welcome home the Hampshire Tigers.

Southampton City Council bosses have paid out for transport to collect pupils from eight schools across the city to enable them to cheer on the troops when they march.

It comes after the Daily Echo called for more to be done to give our soldiers a heroes’ welcome they deserve after we revealed how no schools had been invited to take part.

It has been confirmed that 450 youngsters will be brought to the city centre on Tuesday morning in time for the start of proceedings at 11am.

Most of them will then walk behind The Tigers as they march through the city centre to the Bargate and back again.

Dozens of children have been busy making flags and drawing pictures and posters in preparation for the event.

Schools attending are: Beechwood Junior School, Bitterne; Sholing Junior School, St Mark’s Junior, Heathfield Junior, St Monica Junior, Mansel Park Primary and Hightown Primary. Pupils from Cantell School in Basset will also be turning out.

Matthew Robinson, deputy head teacher at Hightown Primary School, said: “We’re taking some children from years four, five and six and we’re all getting very excited! I think it’s vitally important that our pupils have an understanding of the job that the soldiers are doing and it also helps to raise our children’s aspirations about career choices when they are older.”

The parade takes place on Tuesday from 11.20am