Many of my constituents will have been saddened to learn of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death at Windsor Castle last Friday at the age of 99.
They will have paid their respects in their own individual way over the past few days and, of course, their thoughts on condolences will go with the Queen and other members of the royal family.
On behalf of my constituents, I attended the Thanksgiving service for the life of Prince Philip at Chester Cathedral on Sunday afternoon.
Due to the limitations of Covid-19, only a small congregation was invited to this socially distant occasion, but the hour-long service, led by the Dean of Chester Cathedral, Very Rev. Dr. Tim Stratford, can be re-viewed on Chester Cathedral YouTube channel. During the mourning period, flags were lowered in the council buildings in Ellesmere Harbor, as well as throughout the Cheshire West and Chester Council area. Council President Cllr Louise Gittins has written to Buckingham Palace to offer her deepest condolences on behalf of the district.
An online condolence book will be available on site through Sunday April 18 and can be found at http://tolbc.com/ChesterHRHPPTributes. Books of condolences are also available at places like the Ellesmere Port Library, where Ellesmere Port Mayor Cllr Michael Edwardson signed it on Monday morning. Anyone wishing to express a message of condolences and not have access to the internet can forward the Civic Team on 01244 972214 or 01244 977074, alternatively forwarding as the Duke of Edinburgh.Some residents have had connections with so many charities and other organizations that they are happy to contribute want to contribute to these good causes.
Prince Philip made a number of visits to Ellesmere Port and Chester during his long life serving the nation. He was known to have a considerable interest in scientific and technological developments and he will no doubt have been delighted to drive the flagship Astra GTE at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port facility as early as February 1985. More recently, in May 2012, The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh stayed at Ellesmere Port on the £ 50 million luxury yacht Leander, moored at the National Waterways Museum. They visited Chester Zoo, where the Queen opened the Diamond Jubilee Quarter as part of her anniversary celebrations. The Duke of Edinburgh also attended the official opening by the Queen in 1998 of the £ 12 million Blue Planet Aquarium, which resembled the shape of a crashing wave. At the time, the Cheshire Oaks structure was the largest aquarium in the UK and is still the largest in the north west of England. Among his many visits to Chester, Prince Philip joined the Queen when they opened the former County Hall building in 1957 and visited the old Cheshire Police Headquarters a decade later. Perhaps the visit most people remember (I certainly do) was in 1979 when Prince Philip and the Queen visited the Civic Hall and the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum.
Perhaps his greatest connection to the constituency, however, is the large number of voters who developed their life skills by successfully completing the bronze, silver and gold awards in the Duke Of Edinburgh Scheme.