(Last updated 3 January 2023)
On behalf of Saltford Parish Council, Chair Cllr Chris Warren expresses the Parish Council’s deep sorrow following news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen on 8th September 2022.
SPC Chair Cllr Chris Warren has expressed the following on behalf of Saltford Parish Council:
It is with shock and sadness Saltford Parish Council has learnt of the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. Throughout her reign she has served the Country selflessly, representing its people at home and overseas. She has seen many Prime Ministers come and go, she joined the military with her sister Margaret and helped with the war effort. She, with her husband Prince Philip at her side, has been steadfast through many turbulent times and has often unified the country. Her annual speeches on Christmas Day always struck the right tone and were watched by millions. She will be remembered as an historic figure who always considered her role as her duty. God bless you Ma’am and may you Rest in Peace.
Cllr Chris Warren, on behalf of Saltford Parish Council
Further tributes by Saltford Parish Council’s Councillors can be found below.
Saltford’s Book of Condolence
Saltford Parish Council is aware that some residents will wish to express their thoughts and as such have provided a Book of Condolence. Details of a national online Book of Condolence can be found below also.
Saltford’s Book of Condolence is now located in the section between Saltford Hall’s main entrance external doors and internal doors, to the left-hand side on approach. This location has been chosen as Book of Condolence needed to be in easily accessible place, and quiet enough to enable those signing the books a moment of privacy and quiet reflection whilst doing so. Saltford Parish Council appreciates the Saltford Community Association’s support regarding this.
Pens will be available however residents are welcome to bring their own pens to write with and use the hand sanitiser provided.
The Book of Condolence will be available for residents to write in from midday on Friday 9 September and available weekdays and Saturdays between 7am-6pm, until a week after the funeral has taken place. The book will remain in the power of Saltford Parish Council.
A national online Book of Condolence will be available on the Royal Family’s official website for residents to contribute to also. Further to this, there are several other online Books of Condolences available as managed by other bodies and organisations, including B&NES Council. This includes a B&NES Council Book of Condolence at Keynsham Library and Community Space from Friday 9 September, please see the B&NES Council webpage for times and details. The B&NES Council mobile library also has a Book of Condolence for people to sign. Further information from B&NES Council can be found below.
Floral Tributes
Residents may choose to express their sadness locally by laying flowers locally. We respectfully request this is done at the Saltford War Memorial (junction of Beech Rd / Norman Rd/ / High St) or at Saltford Memorial Garden (junction of Bath Rd/Manor Rd). We ask residents to lay flowers in a considerate manner, ensuring safe access if laid at the Saltford Memorial Garden.
If extra space is needed, please lay flowers by the cross at St Mary’s Churchyard (the cross is beyond the main door to the church, adjacent to the small memorial garden).
Floral tributes will be removed the week following the The Queen’s funeral or once the flowers have died. Please be aware that weather conditions may have an effect on the above. Decisions on this will be made giving forethought and sensitivity to the needs of our community.
SPC donation (in lieu of flowers)
In lieu of flowers, Saltford Parish Council may look to resolve to make a donation(s) to an appropriate charity of its choosing at its 4th October meeting. If so, this would be similar to the donation made following the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, when the Royal family requested a donation in lieu of flowers. If agreed, a donation will be made to one or more of the charities that The Queen supported. More details will be shared in due course. Members of the public are welcome to speak at the meeting regarding this. A copy of the agenda will be published here the Thursday before the meeting takes place (29 September).
Update November 2022: As a tribute on behalf of residents, SPC resolved at its October meeting to donate £50 to CPRE Avon & Bristol branch in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen was CPRE’s Patron for 70 years https://tinyurl.com/5n7enrvn
Letter of Condolence
On behalf of Saltford Parish Council, the Parish Clerk will write a Letter of Condolence to the His Majesty The King’s Private Secretary, asking for condolences to be passed to the new Sovereign and the Royal Family.
Update January 2023: A card from Buckingham Palace addressed to the Residents of Saltford Parish was sent to the Parish Clerk, sharing a message from King Charles as follows: ‘It was so very kind of you to send me such a wonderfully generous message following the death of my beloved mother. Your most thoughtful words are enormously comforting, and I cannot tell you how deeply they are appreciated at this time of immense sorry. Charles R’.
Please also find a copy of the card here.
National Moment of Reflection
The public have been invited to take part in a National Moment of Reflection, to take place at 8pm on Sunday 18 September, the night before the State Funeral. This will be marked by a one-minute silence.
The silence can be marked privately at home, with friends and family, out on doorsteps or the street with neighbours, or at locally arranged community events and vigils. More information is available on the Gov.UK website here.
Church services
Church Services can provide a setting for people to come together to express sadness.
The benefice’s – of which St Mary’s, Saltford is a part alongside churches in Corston and Newton St Loe – amended services to mark the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday 11th September.
On Sunday 18 September, a Holy Communion Service at St Mary’s, Saltford, will take place at 10am.
Also on Sunday 18 September, a Commemorative Service to mark Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth at Holy Trinity, Newton St Loe will take place at 11.15am.
More information about local Church of England services can be found on the St Mary’s Church Saltford website. Booklets of prayers and readings have been left in St Mary’s church for visitors to take away with them. If residents would like to lay flowers at St Mary’s church, these can be laid by the cross (situated near the main door of the church).
Bath Abbey is open for quiet reflection. The Abbey will also be livestreaming the broadcast of the Queen’s funeral. On Sunday 18 September Bath Abbey will hold a Memorial Evensong Service at 3:30pm. Bath Abbey will also hold a Commemoration Service at 6:30pm. All are welcome to attend the services.
The Abbey’s events are as follows:
Sunday 18 September:
Memorial Evensong at 3:30pm
Monday 19 September:
8:30 – Morning Prayer
11 am – Broadcast of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
5:30pm – Evening Prayer
Find out more on the Bath Abbey website.
There is also a Service of Thanksgiving at Wells Cathedral on Sunday 18 September at 3pm, please visit their website for details.
Funeral and national commemorations
Information about Her Majesty The Queen’s State Funeral, national commemorations and national silences is available on national media websites and channels. The day of the State Funeral will be a Public Holiday, and will be held on Monday 19 September. On the death of the Sovereign there will be a Two Minute Silence at 11.00am on the day of the funeral.
Residents can follow the national media coverage of events in London and Windsor.
Flag (and Proclamation)
Since the early evening of Thursday 8th September the Saltford Community Association has been flying the Union Flag at half-mast on the flagpole at Saltford Hall. Union Flags on B&NES Council buildings are also being flown at half-mast. Flags are likely to fly at half-mast until the day after the State Funeral.
On Proclamation Day, Saturday 10 September, the flag was flown at the mast-head from around 10:30am to coincide with the Reading of the Principle of the Proclamation, when His Majesty The King was formally proclaimed. The flag was then flown again at half-mast at Saltford Hall from about 1pm on Sunday 11 September, in line with Government guidance.
The local proclamation of the new Sovereign, King Charles III, was read out at 2pm on Sunday 11 September at the Guildhall in Bath. Please find information here, including a copy of the wording of the Proclamation, as shared on the B&NES Council website.
Further tributes from Saltford Parish Council Councillors and B&NES Ward Councillors
The following tributes have been shared following the sad news of the death of her Majesty The Queen:
Her majesty Queen Elizabeth II dedicated her life to the service of this nation and her passing will be a great sadness to many. During her reign she witnessed huge change and throughout she remained steadfast and worldly wise. I am sure that all in Saltford will feel her loss deeply as she gave strength to so many.
Cllr Jon Godfrey, Saltford Parish Council (Chair of Staffing Committee)
The world lost a great leader today…
A constant in turbulent times
A model of service and honour.
My Queen…
God save the King.
Cllr Gary Graveling, Saltford Parish Council
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II inspired many millions of people in the UK and around the world with her life-long dedication and self-less sense of duty. Her passing has created a feeling of sadness and immense loss as the long and remarkable Elizabethan era comes so abruptly to an end. May her legacy continue to inspire us all. We can wish King Charles III well as we hold him and her family in our thoughts and prayers.
Thank you, Ma’am, for all you have done and the example you set.
Cllr Phil Harding, Saltford Parish Council (Chair of Planning)
Tribute and information from B&NES Council
Bath & North East Somerset Council has joined the nation in mourning, following the death of HRH Queen Elizabeth II which was announced this evening. Please see their webpage here.
The Union Flag will be flying half-mast at the Bath Guildhall, Keynsham Memorial Gardens and Midsomer Norton Library and Information Service as a mark of respect.
Councillor Shaun Stephenson McGall, Chair of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “On behalf of the council, and the people of Bath and North East Somerset, I would like to express our deepest sympathy to the Royal Family. We are truly saddened to learn of the death of HRH Queen Elizabeth II who visited our area on a number of occasions and was much admired by the people of Bath and North East Somerset. As well as being a respected figurehead locally, nationwide and worldwide, we must remember that at heart, HRH Queen Elizabeth II was a much-loved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. And it is with her family that our thoughts lie at this difficult time. We hope and pray that they will find comfort and strength in each other and through our own words of respect and remembrance.”
Books of Condolence are open in the Guildhall, Keynsham and Midsomer Norton libraries and the Mobile Library, B&NES Council’s details are on the council website. The books will be closed at 5pm on 20 September, please see the B&NES Council website for details.
Floral tributes can be left at Parade Gardens in Bath, Keynsham Memorial Gardens and the Hollies Garden, Midsomer Norton.
The local proclamation of the new Sovereign, King Charles III, was read out at 2pm on Sunday 11th September at the Guildhall in Bath. For information about the local proclamation please visit the B&NES Council website here. Council flags were raised on Proclamation Day and on the day following Proclamation Day were returned to half-mast.
The Government has announced that a one-minute silence will be held across the UK at 8pm on Sunday. People can mark the silence privately in their own homes, on the street with neighbours or at community events and vigils.
B&NES Council services will be disrupted on Monday 19 September including waste services and heritage museums. Please see B&NES Council’s Newsroom page. The bank holiday will mark the last day of the period of national mourning. National arrangements following the Queen’s death can be found on the Government’s website here
All details are on B&NES Council’s dedicated webpage: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/hm-queen-elizabeth-ii
