Queen remembered at Suffolk thanksgiving service

Queen Elizabeth II has been remembered at a service of thanksgiving held in Suffolk.

The service of commemoration and thanksgiving was held in St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds.

It included memories from her friend Lord Tollemache of private and official visits to the county, as well as prayers and music.

Lord Tollemache told the service of the Queen's "great affection for the county of Suffolk".

A former lord lieutenant for the county, he said: "There are many ways to describe her majesty; wise, constant, capable, a comfort to us all.

"Her steadfast service was supreme and we sensed she was always there for all of us in good times and in bad."

Lord Tollemache, a friend of the Queen's regailed the congregation with fond memories of her visits

He also told the congregation anecdotes from the Queen and Prince Philip's many private visits to the county at his home at Helminghall Hall.

"It was there they could kick off their shoes and relax in front of the fire, particularly in bad times such as the one she described as her annus horribilis following the fire at Windsor Castle.

"It was at those times we could enjoy her great sense of humour and wonderful laugh following some apt remark or story."

Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Martin Seeley, who led the service, said the Queen had "given unparalleled service to our nation, Commonwealth and Church".

Suffolk's Lord Lieutenant, Clare, Countess of Euston, described the queen as a "remarkable woman"

Suffolk's Lord Lieutenant, Clare, Countess of Euston, said: "When we look back in time we will really appreciate how remarkable she was as a woman, a mother and a queen."

The Queen visited the town in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee and in 2009 for the Royal Maundy service.

During her visit for the Maundy service she made a special visit to the then Dean, Neil Collings, who was ill with a brain tumour.

The congregation remembered fondly the Queen's visit to Bury St Edmunds in 2009 for the Royal Maundy service

Dean of St Edmundsbury, the Very Reverend Joe Hawes, said: "He wanted to be quite private but someone said 'what visitor would you want?' And he said 'Well I'd see the Queen'.

"And someone told her and so she and the Duke of Edinburgh said 'alright' and went round to the deanery and saw Neil, had a drink with him and she was able to be with him in his final months.

"And it is just a typical example of her quiet grace, generosity and attentiveness," he added.

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