Photo by Ollie Cowan
The day of the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II has been declared as a Bank Holiday.
The new King Charles III formally approved the order at St James’s Palace in London today as he was declared sovereign.
While the Bank Holiday has been approved, it has still not been confirmed on which day the Queen’s funeral will be held – although it is expected on the 10th day of mourning – Monday 19th September.
This means that there will now be 10 UK Bank Holidays in total this year – with an additional one previously being added in June because of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Usually, the UK has eight Bank Holidays a year.
In Southport, Queen Elizabeth II is being remembered through a Book of Condolence which is in place at The Atkinson on Lord Street in Southport town centre for people to sign.
Areas outside the Princess Diana Memorial Gardens on Lord Street, Southport and Bootle Town Hall have been designated as places where residents can leave floral tributes in memory of Her Majesty the Queen.
Flags at Southport Town Hall and all flags at council buildings and assets across the borough have been lowered to half-mast.
Books of Condolence at both The Atkinson in Southport and Bootle town hall will be collated and archived.
Both The Atkinson in Southport and Bootle Town Hall have been open since yesterday (Friday 9th September) and will remain open between 9am and 5pm for residents and visitors to sign the books of condolence. In the event of large crowds forming, a queuing system will be in place at both buildings.
An online book of remembrance has also been made available by Buckingham Palace and will soon be available via the Sefton Council website www.sefton.gov.uk
For Sefton residents who cannot access the online book of remembrance, printed Condolence Cards will be available from all Sefton Libraries and Family Wellbeing Centres. These can be filled in by hand and either returned to one of the libraries or family wellbeing centres or can be posted back to either Southport or Bootle Town Halls. These cards will be collated and stored in council archives.
During the mourning period and state funeral, some of the Mayor of Sefton’s engagements may be cancelled as a mark of respect. Other engagements during this period may begin with a period of silence to honour the Queen’s passing.
Floral tributes at both Southport and Bootle will remain in place until after the state funeral. These will then be sensitively collected and disposed of in an appropriate fashion.
For more information visit sefton.gov.uk or mysefton.co.uk.
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