'Coffee and sausage rolls kept Queen queue going'

14 September 2022

royal mile — Image caption,
The Royal Mile in Edinburgh was back to normal on Wednesday

By Morag Kinniburgh

BBC News Scotland

Normal life has quickly returned to Edinburgh, after tens of thousands of people lined its streets to honour Queen Elizabeth II.

A meticulously planned operation saw 33,000 people file through St Giles' Cathedral, and even more pack the historic city centre for three days in a row.

Beyond the security services and royal officials were dedicated everyday workers who kept the city going through such a spectacular event.

They have told BBC Scotland how coffee, sausage rolls and an incredible kind-hearted atmosphere sustained the crowds as they queued for hours to pay their last respects to Her Majesty.

'I had two trolleys full of milk'

Coffee stall owner Stuart Collins, 28, said his team at Uplands Roasts worked through the night to cater for people on the Meadows - where thousands joined the queue to view the Queen's coffin.

"It was really busy, the busiest I've ever seen The Meadows," he said. "The nicest thing was seeing so many people come together.

"Everyone on the team came down and did a shift back-to-back and we just kept going.

"It was partly an opportunity for the business - but we also knew that we needed to do this, otherwise there would be a lot of people standing in the dark who didn't have anything to eat or drink."

Stuart said they were able to remain open after a supply run to a 24-hour supermarket in the middle of the night - which almost failed at the final hurdle.

"I turned up at the check-out with two trolley loads full of milk - but I was told I wasn't allowed to buy that much.

"I don't know what they thought I was going to do with it, but I managed to persuade them it was for a good cause and we stayed open."

'We ran out of sausage rolls'

Food stall worker Alastair Perry, 21, said they were not quite so lucky at Max's Bakes on the Meadows, after royal mourners cleared them out of gourmet sausage rolls.

"Our plan was to stay open as long as we could throughout the night," he said. "But we just couldn't accommodate the full night.

"We ran out of sausage rolls which meant we had to close up everything, make some more, then open up as soon as we could again the next morning.

"We wanted to try and help the people who were queuing to see the Queen and pay their respects."

'People were so kind to others in the queue'

Janet Robson, 55, of the Salvation Army said the charity was initially stationed at various city locations, but it became apparent they needed "all hands on deck" at The Meadows with the size of the queues.

She said they were happy to offer welfare and support, but there was little to worry about with the crowds.

"There was a really kind, gracious atmosphere among the whole crowd," she said.

"People were kind to us and to others in the queue. They knew they were there for hours but nobody seemed to mind.

"We helped a lady who was feeling unwell. She felt quite dizzy and faint, so we got her in a taxi home to Glasgow.

"We felt proud and privileged to be involved at such a momentous time for Scotland."

'People standing together became friends'

Kerry Dohan, 48, was a security steward on the Royal Mile, as King Charles III led the procession behind the coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles' Cathedral.

Although she was just feet away from the royals, she said she had to keep her back to the procession the entire time, with eyes firmly on the crowds gathered behind the security fence.

"There is part of you that knows it's an incredible experience, but we're there for a job, we're there to monitor the crowds," she said.

"We have TV to look back on, just knowing you were here and part of it is really special."

But she said the good nature of those gathered meant she didn't feel she missed out.

"There were people in the crowd the whole time telling us what was going on. It was very unifying, all politics were dropped, it was mourning and a celebration of her life.

"People who had never met before, who were standing together for five or six hours, ended up becoming friends - sharing food, drinks and photographs."

'It's going back to normal'

Lukasz Rotuski, 41, is a recycling worker for private businesses in Edinburgh. He said it was a challenge to work in the city centre among the fences and security cordons.

"Since Thursday we couldn't cover this area so we've been running night shift, which was a problem as well, we couldn't get anywhere.

"So this is the first day we've managed to clear everything."

But he feels a sense of pride that Edinburgh was looking so good for the Queen's final journey.

"It's been hard for the last few days," he said. "But everything is now going back to normal."