TIG Post

Tag: Hyde Park

  • Camilla pictured surrounded by Paddington Bears, which were donated to Barnado’s

    The Queen Consort is shown holding toy bears left outside Buckingham Palace by members of the public after the Queen’s death.

    A new image shows the Queen Consort surrounded by teddies to commemorate the contribution of over 1,000 toy bears to Barnardo’s children’s charity.

    Mourners paying their respects to the Queen after her death last month left the cuddly toys outside Buckingham Palace, including many Paddington Bears.

    The Palace said the teddies had been collected and professionally cleaned before they are delivered to Barnardo’s children’s services in the coming weeks.

    In the picture, Camilla sits on a low sofa in the Morning Room at Clarence House wearing a navy blue dress with white stitching, surrounded by toy bears.

    It was taken on Thursday – the 64th anniversary of the publication of the first Paddington Bear book.

    In a much-loved TV sketch during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, Elizabeth II had tea at Buckingham Palace with the popular children’s character where she dug out a marmalade sandwich from her famous handbag.

    It prompted members of the public to leave teddy bears, and quite a few marmalade sandwiches, among the floral tributes which amassed outside royal residences following her death in September.

    The Queen passed the patronage of Barnardo to Camilla in 2016, who was then the Duchess of Cornwall.

    Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry said: “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Barnardo’s patron for over 30 years, and we are honoured to be able to give homes to the teddies that people left in her memory.

    “We promise to look after these bears who will be well-loved and bring joy to the children we support.

    “We are incredibly grateful to Her Majesty The Queen Consort for her support in helping us to raise awareness of the needs of vulnerable children and young people in the UK so that we can continue to support them through our vital services.”

    A Paddington Bear toy and marmalade sandwich is left amongst flowers and tributes outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Picture date: Saturday September 10, 2022.
    Image:A Paddington Bear toy and marmalade sandwich among floral tributes outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh

    Tom Jarvis, director of parks at the Royal Parks charity, said: “Over the last few weeks, we have been looking for a fitting and appropriate use for the hundreds of teddy bears that were left in Green Park and Hyde Park to honour the Queen.

    “We are delighted that the teddy bears will now bring joy and comfort to hundreds of children supported by Barnardo’s.”

    The bears were being “well looked after” at the Palace, Clarence House, and in the Royal Parks nursery in Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace said.

    Queen shares tea with Paddington Bear

    Following the Queen’s death, the Royal Parks charity, which manages the designated London tribute site in Green Park, urged well-wishers not to leave teddy bears, balloons, or lit candles.

    With the help of shire horses and almost 200 volunteers, the charity began gathering tributes from Green Park and Hyde Park late last month after the national period of mourning – with the toys collected then also set to be cleaned and donated to Barnardo’s.

     

  • Tribute: Flowers to Queen to be composted and used in Royal Parks

    The flowers will be utilized for park planting initiatives in London.

    From next week Monday, flowers left in memory of the Queen will be composted and planted as shrubberies and landscaping materials in the Royal Parks.

    Flowers left by visitors in honour of the Queen will still be accepted, but those that have already started to lose their beauty will be taken to the Hyde Park nursery.

    It is expected that work to remove items laid by the public will begin on Monday, a week after the state funeral, and will continue for seven days.

    Once taken away, any remaining packaging, cards, and labels will be removed before the plant material is composted in Kensington Gardens.

    The compost will then be used on landscaping projects and shrubberies across the Royal Parks.

    The London Royal Parks include Hyde Park, Green Park, St James’s Park, Regent’s Park, and Kensington Gardens.

    Sue Tovey, 57, from North Wales, traveled to the tribute site in Green Park to leave flowers with her husband and her granddaughter.

    She said: “I think it’s amazing because so many people have brought things down and I love how they’ve gotten rid of all the Cellophane and actually just got the bouquets. It’s beautiful, really moving isn’t it?”

    Belinda Barber, 56, from Huntingdon, left flowers at the Green Park tribute site.

    She said: “We’re all gardeners anyway so it’s a lovely touch that this will go and get used in Royal Parks, which is fantastic. There’s going to be a lot of compost here I would’ve thought.”

    Thousands of mourners have left flowers since the Queen's death
    Image: Thousands of mourners have left flowers since the Queen’s death

    In terms of other tributes, a spokesperson for the Royal Parks said: “Our priority at the moment is to manage the huge volume of flowers and tributes that are being left in the Green Park Floral Tribute Garden.

    “We will store any teddies and artifacts that have been left and will work closely with our partners to agree on what we do with them over the next few months with discretion and sensitivity.”

  • Hyde Park is ‘staggeringly quiet’

    As the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II began, hundreds, if not thousands, of people stood up in London’s Hyde Park, according to reporter Victoria Seabrook.
    Most of the crowd stood with their hands together, listening to the service as the previous chitchat subsided.
    It is also striking how few people held up their phones to take photos or videos – now a familiar sight at big gatherings, especially music festivals.

    Seeing everyone sitting down again gave a better sense of just how many people are there.

     

    Other than the audio from the ceremony, booming through the speakers, it is staggeringly quiet for such a large crowd.