Westbury presented to the Queen

THE Queen and Duke of Edinburgh admired projects and activities from Westbury and the villages, as well as meeting local people, at a special Diamond Jubilee event last week in Salisbury.
Westbury’s exhibition was one of the select few visited by the royals at the county’s Jubilee event in Salisbury on 1st May. One of the features in Westbury’s exhibition was a copy of the skull of a 150million year-old Jurassic pliosaur, which was excavated at Westbury in 1994. Wiltshire councillor Julie Swabey showed the Queen around Westbury’s exhibition. She said, “All the cameras were there when I greeted her, and it was lovely to meet her! You feel like you’ve known her all your life, you’ve been brought up knowing the Queen. “It was all very relaxed. I introduced her to Din Ghani, the lute player, and she saw the pliosaur and asked if it was very ferocious! She met David Jenkins and Mike Cuthbert-Murray and had a look at the display boards of the White Horse. “She talked to Mike Pearce about the community orchards in Bratton, and met the young people on the smoothie bar. She asked them about what they were making, and what flavours. They were thrilled!” After the Queen had left, the group was delighted to receive a surprise visit from the Duke of Edinburgh. Mike Pearce presented the Reeves Community Orchard Project in Bratton to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. He said, “She was lovely, and very easy to talk to. They both asked some nice questions as to what it was and what we were doing. They realised that British orchards are diminishing and asked by how much. And they were interested to know that other villages in the county are now following suit.” Din Ghani, a lute player and lute maker from Dilton Marsh, also met the royal couple. He said, “I was the first in the tent to be presented, and she asked questions about the wood I used and what effect it had on the tone. After she went, Prince Philip appeared – he wasn’t expected! Our tent was honoured by a double visit. “They were both very interested and came across as very friendly. After they went, the public was able to come in and I played the lute a couple of times and people were milling around and saying ‘what’s that?’Kids came up and looked at the music and were fascinated.” David Jenkins, a Wiltshire and town councillor, talked to the Queen about Wiltshire and Westbury’s White Horses. He said, “It was a great honour to meet her, it was something I never thought I would get to do, certainly not in a Jubilee year. When you meet a royal you have a slight apprehension but it’s incredible, once you start to talk to her she has the ability to make you feel relaxed and very much at ease. “She asked me some questions about the White Horse, which I responded to. She asked how many White Horses there are in the county, and how old is the horse. “As far as Westbury is concerned we were certainly honoured that we were one of the tents she visited. It was a day to remember for everyone.” Cllr David Windess, in his capacity as Westbury Mayor at the time, was also greeted by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at a reception for the royals. The Diamond Jubilee event celebrated Wiltshire’s heritage with medieval-themed activities, including 18 community-inspired jousting tents, music, performances, re-enactments and Morris dancing . Wiltshire Council’s Shine 4 Wiltshire winners, The Salisbury Plain Military Wives Choir, performed along with the Prince of Wales Marching Band. The Cathedral Close also played host to a number of activities with performances from actors in period costume and a display of falconry. An armed services band performed and they also hosted an inflatable assault course for families to enjoy.