Flags and smiles for royal couple
A SEA of Union flags greeted the start of a royal visit to Grove Green as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee cele- brations. The Earl and Countess of
Wessex delighted the crowd during their relaxed walkabout at the opening of a community orchard, planted at Penhurst Close by Boxley Parish Coun- cil.
The royal couple arrived to a
huge cheer from about 200 pupils from nearby St John’s CE Primary School, who were resplendent in their red tops and Jubilee white hats. The children performed
“Song for a Queen”, which had been written to the tune of “Greensleeves” by teacher Mandy Dennet, and a copy of the recording was presented to the Earl and Countess. The Queen’s youngest son, Edward, and his wife, Sophie, chatted with officials and youngsters and met members of local groups. These included KentWildlife Trust, Maidstone Mencap, Cobtree Playschool,
Four-year-old Leon Ryan of Cobtree Play School admires the Countess’s handbag, and
right, a hug from four-year-old OliverWarham who gave her a thank you card from Cobtree Play School
Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group, as well as Scouts, Guides and Brownies. After strolling around the or-
chard and posing for photo- graphs, Prince Edward and the
Countess completed the plant- ing of a commemorative cherry tree with a spade handed to them by nine-year-old Amelia Harwood, of Roseacre Junior School. They also unveiled a plaque
and received a basket of Ken- tish produce from 11-year-old William Stanford and Onisha Lama. The orchard was the brain-
The
Countess chats to local
residents at the opening of the
orchard
child of borough and parish Cllr Tony Harwood, who was born and brought up in the area. He put forward the idea to
create an area recalling the old cherry and apple orchards which originally covered Weavering Street and Grove Green, before residential devel-
opment. The project, which in- cludes a wildlife haven and re- furbished playground, was drawn up by the parish coun- cil after consultation with resi- dents and organisations. Boxley Parish Council chair-
man Ivor Davies called it “a patio view of the garden of England” and said: “As we cannot put back the clock, we have tried to put back in this country orchard something we have lost.” Parish clerk Pauline Bow-
dery said the royal couple im- pressed everyone with their charming, friendly informal manner and the eventwas “ab- solutely fabulous”. She added: “I can’t thank the school and children enough.”
Clockwise from left: The royal couple receive a basket of Kentish goodies from Onisha Lama and William Stanford, of St John’s Primary School; Hayden Colwell (3), of Weavering Pre-School meets the Countess; Prince Edward surrounded by a sea of Union flags; the Count- ess with pupils from St John’s School; the Countess meets local Scouts
16 Town Visit Downs Mail’s website —
downsmail.co.uk
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