Friday 9 September 2022

FLAGS were flying at half mast over County Hall in Beverley today, and all other council buildings, following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. And in a joint statement the chairman of East Riding Council, Cllr John Whittle, the Leader of the council, Cllr Jonathan Owen, and the council’s chief executive, Caroline Lacey, paid tribute to Her Majesty, who, they said, “dedicated her life to serve the people of the United Kingdom”. 

As a mark of respect, the Union Flag will continue to be flown at half-mast on all council buildings until the day after Her Majesty’s funeral while books of condolence will be available for people to leave messages of sympathy at the council’s libraries, multi-service centres and customer service centres during usual business hours. 

People can also leave tributes online via the Buckingham Palace website – www.royal.uk 

The joint statement said: “We are all deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and send our heart-felt condolences and sympathy to her family. They are all in our thoughts and prayers at this extremely sad time.”

It continued: ”She dedicated her life to serving the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and has been a beacon of hope, stability and unity and overseen many changes during her reign as Monarch with unwavering grace and poise. As the longest serving Monarch she has been an ever-present in most people’s lives and it’s unlikely we will ever witness a reign as long and as glorious again.” 

Similarly, Beverley Town Council expressed its sadness at the death of The Queen while Humberside Chief Constable Lee Freeman also announced the Union Flag will fly at half-mast at stations throughout the Force area as a sign of respect and mourning.

Her Majesty last visited the East Riding in 2009 when, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, who died last year, she opened the Queen’s Centre for Oncology and Haematology at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham. But the most memorable visit came in 2002 as part of her Golden Jubilee tour when Her Majesty and the Duke arrived by Royal Train into Beverley and attended a service for rural life at Beverley Minster, followed by a walkabout in Saturday Market.

The couple visited the college at Bishop Burton before attending a lunch, hosted by the council, at Beverley Racecourse and then presented a trophy to the winning female jockey in the Gold Jubilee race.