Borough concludes Duke of Edinburgh commemorations with private reflections

Residents wishing to observe the nationwide minute’s silence in memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh are being encouraged to do so privately.

There will be no official public marking of the silence in the borough, following COVID-19 guidelines.

The ceremonial royal funeral for the late Duke of Edinburgh will be held at St George’s Chapel, on Saturday 17 April at 3pm.  

To mark the occasion on Saturday, Chester Cathedral will be open for private prayer and lighting of candles.

Council flags in the borough will remain at half-mast until Sunday 18 April at 8am, and Cheshire West and Chester Council’s online book of condolence will remain open until midnight on Sunday.

The late Duke of Edinburgh was honoured at a Sunday Service at Chester Cathedral on 11 April. It was led by the Dean of Chester Dr Tim Stratford and the Rt Revd Mark Tanner Bishop of Chester.  

During the service, the Bishop of Chester said: “Let us pray for the organisations of which the Duke was Patron, his work especially for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and for those whom he served through his charitable work.”  

The Bishop mentioned, in his sermon, that he had earned his Duke of Edinburgh Award. Amongst the small congregation were also a few residents who had achieved the gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, including Amy Gillespie from Chester.  

Amy was awarded her gold award at Buckingham Palace in 2019. She said: “I wanted to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh award as I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. The award helped me gain more resilience and allowed me to help people during the volunteering section of the award. I would encourage anyone in the borough to have a go.”

Chairman of Cheshire West and Chester Council, Bob Rudd, who attended the service, said: “Over the years, many thousands of young people in Cheshire West and Chester have completed either their bronze, silver and gold awards, including my own granddaughter."  

“The award scheme helps to equip and empower young people from all communities to build resilience, confidence and skills for their future, as well as having fun and making new friends."

“The scheme is very important to the Council and training programmes for staff and volunteers are offered. Many young people have used their volunteering category to support our communities in different ways, including during the pandemic. I do hope many more young people in west Cheshire will continue the legacy of the late Duke by taking part in this fantastic award scheme.”

In Cheshire, 6,711 young people completed their volunteering section of their Duke of Edinburgh Programme between April 2019 and March 2020.

The Duke of Edinburgh founded the award scheme in 1956 and, over the decades, it has helped millions of young people across the world to prosper, gain confidence and learn new skills. 

The scheme has become one of the Duke’s most recognised accomplishments. More than 130 countries and territories offer programmes as part of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation.

Pictured - Duke of Edinburgh Award recipient Amy Gillespie with Cheshire West and Chester Council Chair Bob Rudd