3Pre-IntermediateGeneralCulture

Local Hero Saves a Big Community Parade

A businessman in England gave £9,000 to save a parade. The St. George's Day parade was going to be canceled. Now people call him a hero, but he says he is not.

1 min readLevel 3March 17, 2026

By Flalingo Editorial Team

Vocabulary

Study these words before reading the article. Click the audio button to hear pronunciation.

parade

/pəˈreɪd/

noun

An event where people walk together in a group on the street to celebrate something

“We watched the parade go down the street.”

donate

/dəʊˈneɪt/

verb

To give money or things to help other people

“She wanted to donate some clothes to the poor.”

praise

/preɪz/

verb

To say good things about someone because they did something well

“The teacher praised the students for their hard work.”

overwhelmed

/ˌəʊvəˈwelmd/

adjective

Having very strong feelings because something big happened

“She felt overwhelmed by all the birthday messages.”

celebrate

/ˈselɪbreɪt/

verb

To do something special and fun for a happy event

“We are going to celebrate my mother's birthday tonight.”

community

/kəˈmjuːnɪti/

noun

All the people who live in the same area or town

“The community came together to clean the park.”

Article

Click on any underlined word to see its definition. Highlighted words are from the vocabulary section.

A big parade was in danger. The St. George's Day Scout parade happens every year. It takes place in Romford, England. But this year, it almost did not happen. The costs were too high for the group.

Dean Floyd is a local businessman. He is the boss of a building company. He gave £9,000 to save the parade. The money paid for traffic safety on the roads. Without his help, there would be no parade.

People in the town praised Dean a lot. They called him a hero. But Dean told the news he is not a hero. He said he just wanted to help people celebrate. He was overwhelmed by all the kind words.

Comprehension Quiz

Test your understanding of the article with these multiple-choice questions.

1
Where does the St. George's Day parade take place?
2
How much money did Dean Floyd give?
3
What was the money used for?
4
What did Dean Floyd say about being called a hero?
5
What is Dean Floyd's job?

Discussion

Answer these comprehension questions about the article.

1
What event was in danger of being canceled?
2
How much money did Dean Floyd give to help?
3
Why did the parade need money?
4
What did people in the town call Dean Floyd?
5
How did Dean feel about all the praise?

Further Discussion

Share your opinions on these open-ended questions.

1
Have you ever been to a parade? What was it like?
2
Do you think it is important to celebrate national days? Why?
3
What do you think makes someone a real hero?
4
Have you ever helped your community? What did you do?
5
If you had a lot of money, what would you donate to?