Silence fell across the region earlier today, as the nation marked a historic moment to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II.
The monarch, who became Britain's longest serving sovereign after 70 years on the throne, passed away at Balmoral on Thursday, September 8, plunging the nation into sombre moods and a period of unprecedented mourning. Shops closed in her honour, thousands of floral tributes were left across the country, and many came together to express their love and support for the late monarch, sharing their own personal feelings of grief after the Queen's death.
Pubs, care homes, cinemas, Manchester Cathedral and Exchange Square all came together this morning showing the Queen's funeral, before falling silent in her honour shortly before midday. In Manchester city centre, normally bustling streets were deserted and the Metrolink stopped running as the ceremony began. Many paid tribute to the monarch when spoken to by the Manchester Evening News , describing their experience of the shared grief felt since the Queen's death.
Kara Wagstaff, 34, watched the funeral at The Queens Arms in Audenshaw with her nine-year-old daughter Grace and 32-year-old brother, Joe Ullman. When asked why she'd decided to watch in the pub, she told the Manchester Evening News : “Just to pay our respects really, she was the longest reigning queen wasn’t she, 70 years, so we wanted to take a few hours out of our day just to pay respects and just to watch it and share it with everybody.
"She was an icon wasn’t she, she had that beautiful smile and family is very much my thing and it was in her eyes, she was very family orientated. It’s been very sad, I’ve literally just been watching Sky News since she passed away just to take it all in and be able to talk about it in years to come.
"The Queen means a lot to us anyway. Just to share it together and share it with Grace, it is a part of her history as well."
Joe added: "It's a very historical event. Figured I’d come and support [Kara] because she really wanted to come. We had a funeral here last year almost to the day for our mum. It’s kind of nice to back here."
Manchester United fan Michael Smith, 70, remembered meeting The Queen outside Wembley whilst watching the Reds in the 1968 European Cup final. Just 16 at the time, it was a moment he would 'never, ever forget'. Stood in the beer garden at the pub, where a stunning mural of the late Queen was painted days after her death, he said: "I was still at school then, I'll never ever forget it though.
"And I won't forget today either. I thought it was perfect. It was very moving at times, it brought tears to my eyes. She meant a lot to me. I'm 70 now and she's all I've ever known. She was a part of everybody's lives."
Other pubs across the region also showed the funeral, including the Queen Elizabeth II in Bolton, where landlord Derek Gallagher said he'd never heard the establishment so quiet after the bar fell silent in her memory. He added: "It was quite emotional, very moving, but nobody will do it better than the British and we’re good at what we do."
Over at Manchester Cathedral, the sound of hymns sung 180 miles away filled the air. Each word seemed to carry even more weight as it echoed inside, while the end of each prayer met by a vocal 'amen' from some. Although many people from across the region gathered in the iconic cathedral, some had travelled from much further away, including Rosie and Adrian, who came from Fuerteventura in Spain to be with their friend Natalie Vella, from Astley.
Natalie told the Manchester Evening News : "It’s just the Queen isn't it? She’s been constant, she’s been there through all of our lives, we wanted to go down to London but we’ve come here today as the second option just to pay our respects really and to sit with everybody and be part of an atmosphere and be part of history. It’s really emotional, especially with them all marching and seeing everybody and seeing everybody’s reaction, it’s really moving."
Josh Cann, 18, is a student at Salford University, moving to the city region from Devon. He watched the funeral at Manchester Cathedral to be part of something bigger than himself.
He said: "I think the Queen, above all political realms, she just represents this country perfectly and it’s good every now and then to actually celebrate this country from time to time because there is a lot to be proud of in this country. I just thought I’d come out and pay my respects and let everyone come together.
"It’s just a nice atmosphere. It definitely added to the experience apart from being at home, everyone coming together the atmosphere was just nice, pleasant, peaceful. It was great."
For 22-year-old Joseph Gorsuch, who moved to Salford just last week from Rugby, it was important to head out to be part of the historic occasion, after he had travelled to London to join the queue to see the Queen lying in state.
Speaking about the last week since the Queen's death, he said: "When it was first announced I couldn’t believe it. I actually went to London to see her lying in state.
"I went on my own accord because I just felt an urge to go so that was really moving to see that as well. Just the whole ten days has been really so surreal almost like it's unbelievable and it’s something that would have never have happened because she’s been around for so long and I’ve known no one else.
"It was quite moving, when everyone stood up for the national anthem it really got to me, I got a little tear in my eye just to see the whole country come together no matter where you were, the whole Commonwealth as well, to see Christchurch on the screen, round the whole UK, Edinburgh, Belfast, it was just amazing to see everyone come together for such a momentous event."
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