Royal concert invite honour for Mary

Buy photos » The Queen is making her first visit to Worcester for ten years.

A COMMUNITY-SPIRITED Droitwich woman will be among the guests at Worcester Cathedral on Wednesday (July 11) to welcome the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee visit to Worcester.

Mary Miles, of Fabricius Avenue, will be in the cathedral for a concert to celebrate the best Worcestershire has to offer which will see Her Majesty entertained with words and music.

The kind-hearted pensioner is the same age as the Queen and even met the monarch when she was awarded the MBE for services to health and safety in the community in Worcestershire.

Even in her 80s, Mary still remains a committed campaigner and is the current President of the Worcestershire Health and Safety group, a body which was set up four decades ago to promote higher standards of health and safety within industry,

commerce, healthcare, education and other places of employment.

She told The Standard she only received her ticket on Wednesday (July 4) and was delighted to be asked to attend, especially as she also worships at the Cathedral.

“I am delighted to have been selected because I know there are quite a few people who would love to meet the Queen so it is a very special honour,” she said.

“I am looking forward to the event immensely because it will celebrate the best of Worcestershire and I cannot wait to see Her Majesty and of course the Duke of Edinburgh.

Mary has fond memories of the day she was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty in 2004 in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

She said: “It was a beautiful day and I remember the music being played by the guards as we waited to be called forward.

“I have a picture of us laughing together about something but for the life of me I cannot remember what we were talking about,” Mary added.

Her Majesty and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Worcester for the first time in ten years as part of their Diamond Jubilee Tour of the UK and will officially open The Hive, Worcester’s new £60million library and history centre.

Following their visit, the special guests will travel down Angel Place, onto Broad Street and then along the High Street before arriving for a lunch reception at the Guildhall.

The royal couple will then embark on a walkabout in the High Street before arriving at the Cathedral for the specially-prepared concert.

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