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A Basingstoke church is holding a civic service on Sunday afternoon in memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
All residents are invited to attend, but due to the limited space inside St Michael’s Church, free tickets for the event have to be booked on a first come, first served basis.
The service will also be live streamed on the St Michael’s Church website from 3pm for those who are unable to attend in person.
Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Paul Miller said: “People in the borough and across the nation have been keen to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and to express how much she meant to them in their own ways, since the announcement of her death last Thursday.
“With a sense of shared sorrow and deep respect for the Queen and her amazing years of service, we have seen residents of all ages laying floral tributes at the civic offices, and many others have made the trip to Windsor or London to do the same.
“This civic service on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is a way to remember and pay tribute to a remarkable monarch who has been such a constant in all of our lives.”
St Michael’s Church has an interesting link to the reign of the late Queen as a section of the hangings made for Westminster Abbey for her coronation have been made into an altar fall.
This will be on display at the church at the civic service.
The service will be hosted by Mr Miller and it will be led by Reverend John Hudson, rector of Basingstoke Church.
The Bishop of Basingstoke the Right Reverend David Williams will give the sermon and the blessing, and Toju Ogbe of Basingstoke African Caribbean Catholic Association will lead the prayers.
There will be hymns and an anthem sung by the St Michael’s and All Saints’ choirs.
There will also be reflections from local resident Delia Gilham, who was 17 at the time of Queen Elizabeth II ascending to the throne, and Queen Mary’s College students Ffion Timmins and Arran Topham will give a tribute from a younger person’s perspective.
Basingstoke MP Maria Miller will read a poem and Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire Lady Louisa Portal will deliver a reading.
Access to the livestream and tickets to the service can be found at https://bit.ly/3UcKOzL or by calling (01256) 844844.