Queen Elizabeth II: Bishop Auckland church holds funeral viewing

Reverend Matt Keddilty put on a screening of the funeral at St Anne's Church in Bishop Auckland

As dignitaries attended the Queen's funeral in London and thousands lined the capital's streets, some 270 miles north a much smaller church was putting on a screening of the historic day. The BBC joined the small - but emotional - group of viewers at St Anne's Church in Bishop Auckland, of which the monarch was patron.

The organ of Westminster Abbey may have been several hundred miles to the south, but its bass notes still made the pews of St Anne's vibrate.

Speakers dotted around the white walls ensured every syllable and sound spoken and sung at the Queen's funeral service could be heard by the mourners in the marketplace church.

A large screen suspended at the front delivered a live feed of proceedings to the half a dozen or so who had come down to their town's church to watch - in the words of one attendee - the "Queen's final journey".

It was a small group but what they lacked in numbers they made up for with passion for the monarchy, with one wiping away tears at the funeral's conclusion.

The church's vicar Matt Keddilty said he wanted to be able to screen it for those who otherwise may have been on their own.

His is an active church "open every day, not just Sundays", as demonstrated by the posters and photographs advertising various youth groups, clothing banks, film clubs and "men's pint nights".

St Anne's stands in Bishop Auckland marketplace next to the chateau-style town hall

In front of the alter sits a bunch of sunflowers and a Ukraine poster which, like the yellow and blue lights illuminating the two vaulted windows either side of the main front door, have been in place since the Russian invasion began.

But the large playmat featuring characters from Disney's Frozen and box of toys and colouring books normally between the front of the pews and the pulpit have been moved to the back of the church for today's events.

"We are very much an inter-generational church and have the children up at the front with us for our services," he said, adding: "But today is a bit different."

Two young girls and their mother use the crayons and wooden blocks throughout the Queen's funeral, while eight-year-old John and five-year-old Lucas create buildings out of Lego.

Their mother Melissa Sherlock was in the pews watching the funeral.

"I wanted to come and watch it here because if we were at home there's no way we would have got through the funeral without having to put the boys' TV shows on," she said with a laugh.

"The Queen had a really good reign but saying goodbye is never nice," she said, adding: "It was a beautiful service. I thought it would be a big send-off and it didn't disappoint".

Beside Ms Sherlock sat friends and parishioners Kenneth MacDonald and Sue Lalor.

"I could have watched it at home but I would have been alone," Ms Lalor said, adding: "This was a historic moment I wanted to share with other people.

"The Queen has been there my whole life and was a calming presence in times of crisis.

"She has set the perfect example for King Charles and Prince William and I wish them well."

Kenneth MacDonald and Sue Lalor said it was an historic occasion

She said she would especially miss the Queen's Christmas speech, which offered an annual dose of hope, reassurance and an assertion of the Queen's faith.

The funeral, Ms Lalor said, was "emotional" but "went very well" and she enjoyed seeing the young royals Prince George and Princess Charlotte looking and acting "so grown up".

"I'm a bit of a people-watcher so liked looking to see who was in the congregation there," she added.

Mr MacDonald, a keen historian, said the world had "totally changed" during the Queen's reign but she had been ever-present.

"She has left a tremendous void," Mr MacDonald said, adding: "She had the ability to reflect the nation's mood.

"This is a colossal event and one of the biggest in world history.

"It's one of those days, like the death of Princess Diana or assassination of JFK, that you will always remember."

Ensuring the church's technology held up throughout the processions and service was the vicar's 15-year-old daughter Ruth, who sat in a side aisle with the church's laptop hooked up to the screen and speakers through a network of wires.

Ruth was in charge of the technology

"It was very impressive," she said of the service, adding: "Very grand and majestic, just very suitable.

"The Queen was always there and it will be quite different having a king now."

Having ensured those at the church were supplied with teas and coffees, warden Martin Wood mostly stood at the back throughout the service.

He said he was very proud of the church's connection to the Queen, with the monarch being a joint patron of it along with the Bishop of Durham.

There were initially two parishes in Bishop Auckland, one headed by the Queen, the other by the bishop, and they share responsibilities since the parishes merged.

Although mainly an honorary role, the monarch technically still has some say in goings-on at the church with the appointment of the vicar having to be ratified by the government as well as the Church of England.

About half a dozen people came to the church to watch the funeral service

Mr Wood thought the service and associated pomp and pageantry were very fitting, adding: "It's one of the things the British do very well."

Rev Keddilty said he was pleased with how the service had gone both in Westminster and his screening.

The reverend, who served in the Army Reserve before becoming a vicar and moving to Bishop Auckland five years ago, said seeing King Charles and Princes William and George - the next three generations of the Crown - sitting close together was particularly moving.

The day before the funeral, some 400 people attended a service of remembrance at St Anne's brother church St Andrew's, including representatives of the emergency services and military.

The funeral screening proved to be a much more "intimate" crowd, Rev Keddilty said, but he was pleased nonetheless to be able to share the historic occasion with his parishioners and townsfolk.

"It was a small group that came but it was well worth doing," he said.

The small congregation stood for the national anthem

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