A Grand Day Out!
Gary Roberts, Church Army Evangelist in charge at the Parish of Ardmore and Moyntagh, writes of he and his wife Angela’s memorable day at the Palace…
“On Tuesday 22 May my wife Angela and I were privileged to represent Church Army at a Royal Jubilee Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
Angela and I are both from London and it was both wonderful and yet surreal as we walked through the gates of the palace and suddenly found ourselves looking out from the grounds at tourists and onlookers on the other side of the fence – where we have often stood looking in!
Inside the palace the atmosphere was very relaxed and people talked to each other with ease. Folk were smartly dressed but not over the top as you might expect.
We went through the front arch of the palace into the quadrangle and then into the back section and finally onto the garden lawns. As we went through we took our time trying to soak up as much of the surroundings as possible.
The afternoon was one of glorious sunshine… the bands were playing and refreshments were served. Then the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the royal family came out to mix with the guests.
At first it was difficult to even get a glimpse of the Queen at close range, as there are around 8000 people at these events, but towards the end of the party we were able to see her from just a few feet away as she made her way back into the palace.
In the evening we met up with my brother and his wife who took us to a restaurant for fish and chips! Quite a contrast then to the ending of the day. We all have mountain top experiences, but we all have to come back down again!”