Guernsey charities honour their Patron

Sunday 18 September 2022

Representatives of charities of which Queen Elizabeth II was Patron were invited to attend the Service of Thanksgiving in her honour at Guernsey's Town Church.

Organisers of today's church service, conducted by The Dean of Guernsey, The Very Reverend Tim Barker, went through the list of around 600 charities and organisations for which the late Queen was Patron. Any with a branch or presence in Guernsey were invited.

Pictured: The Royal Family website details all of the Patronages the Queen had.

Those charities represented at the Service of Thanksgiving on Saturday morning included, but was not limited to:

• St John Ambulance and the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem
• The Royal Guernsey Agricultural and Horticultural Society
• The Scout Association
• Girlguiding
• The Boys’ Brigade
• The Queen’s Nursing Institute and Queen’s Nurses
• The Royal British Legion
• Commonwealth Games Federation
• The Chartered Governance Institute
• The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

 

Pictured: Girlguiding released this image, of the then Princess Elizabeth, with their tribute to Her Majesty.

As well as representatives of Her Majesty's charities, a number of other organisations were represented at the Town Church on Saturday morning.

Invitations were extended to people who had a relationship with the Crown or Her Majesty through their work, their elected role, their personal or professional achievements, or personal interests. This section included:  

• The Royal Court – and former Bailiffs of Guernsey
• Members of the States of Deliberation
• Representatives from the other islands of the Bailiwick
• Parish representatives – including Senior Constables and Deans of the Douzaines
• Representatives from the senior schools in Guernsey – including some student representatives
• Veterans
• The Head of the Public Service
• Representatives from the emergency services
• Recipients of Royal Victorian Order honours (awards in the Royal Victorian order were made personally by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services to the sovereign)
• Honorary Consuls

The organisers of the Service of Thanksgiving said that "the breadth of the list reflects the diverse ways in which Her Majesty’s interests have touched the lives of islanders and will continue to do so".

Pictured: Tributes to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, continue to be left at the Sunken Garden. (Chris George)

The Reverend Tim Barker conducted the service, which he had spent the previous days preparing for.

He was assisted during the service by Reverend Peter Graysmith; Mission Priest at the Town Church, and Reverend Howard Stringer; Superintendent Minister, Bailiwick of Guernsey Circuit of the Methodist Church. 

The prayers were read by people representing some of those charities and organisations of which Her Majesty The Queen was Patron: 

• Karen Leach, Queen’s Nurse
• Raymond Evison OBE
• Liz Naftel, Royal Guernsey Agricultural and Horticultural Society
• Matilda Shell, St John’s Ambulance Cadet
• Collette Merrien, Bailiwick of Guernsey Commissioner, Girlguiding

Pictured: Present at the Town Church for the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Queen Elizabeth II were representatives of charities of which she was Patron. (Chris George)

READ MORE…

"That's the first time I've seen a King's Counsel"

Church leaders remember a life of "grace" and "service"

Tributes paid across the islands as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dies 

Lieutenant Governor pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen

"HM offered an example to us all in her enduringly strong sense of duty and public service"

Chief Minister describes The Queen's "continuity, constancy and commitment"

Millions watch Proclamation as Charles III pledges "to uphold constitutional government"

Bailiwick mourns Queen Elizabeth II...and what happens next