Solihull Borough Talking Newspaper

Solihull Borough Talking Newspaper Association

Solihull Borough Talking Newspapers Association

The Queen’s Award – Buckingham Palace Garden Party

In 2020, SBTNA was honoured to receive the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. In addition to the award presentation ceremony, it’s traditional that two members of each recipient organisation are invited to attend a Royal garden party. Due to Covid of course, both of these events were delayed.

The award ceremony happened in Birmingham in October 2021, and on 25 May 2022 we’re delighted to report that SBTNA was represented at the Buckingham Palace garden party. 

Our volunteer Tim Bett and his wife Sandra – who were celebrating their wedding anniversary on the same day – had a lovely time, despite deciding not to take an umbrella!

Although there was some disappointment that the Queen had already said that she wouldn’t be attending any garden parties this year, the occasion was graced by Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge, and Gloucester, along with the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princess Beatrice. It was just a shame that Tim and Sandra only got a distant glimpse of them on the Palace patio when they first came out.

Tim told us that the Palace grounds were magnificent, and commented that the outfits on display amongst the 8000 guests “provided a full and lovely pageant of colour”. He particularly mentioned the ladies’ dresses and sarees, and also those senior members of the Armed Forces in their ceremonial uniforms. He and Sandra also enjoyed music from the musicals being played by the band of the Royal Parachute Regiment.

There’ll be a fuller report in the next issue of the magazine, but Tim said:
“Sandra and I felt privileged to have represented SBTNA. On a sad note, the person who should have been there, our previous chairman Marion Canning, died suddenly in 2020 after the award had been announced. Sandra and I were very much aware that we were also representing Marion on the day.”

Presentation of the Queen’s Award –
On Sunday 17 October 2021, Chairman – Linda Edgcumbe and Team Leader- Peter Morris of our Association were honoured to attend a ceremony in Birmingham during which we – and many other fabulous volunteer groups – were presented with the Queen’s Award For Voluntary Service by Mr John Crabtree OBE, the Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands. It was a lovely occasion, postponed from 2020 due to Covid, and we thank Ken Meeson – the Mayor of Solihull – for attending.

Congratulations from all at SBTNA to all the other recipients of this prestigious award.’