Residents partied like is was 1953 for the Queen's 90th birthday - The Solihull Observer

Residents partied like is was 1953 for the Queen's 90th birthday

Solihull Editorial 19th Jun, 2016 Updated: 21st Oct, 2016   0

THE QUEEN’S 90th birthday celebrations went with a swing for 130 elderly residents in Chelmsley Wood who had tea and cake, and danced 1950s style to hits from the Queen’s coronation era.

Songs on the menu for the Royal Tea Party included Doris Day’s ‘Whatever Will Be, Will Be’ (Que Sera Sera), ‘Pillow Talk’, Nat King Cole’s ‘L-O-V-E’, and Ella Fitgerald’s ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing’.

The event was hosted by Grace Academy Solihull, in partnership with Age UK Solihull, and attended by The Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Mike Robinson, The Mayoress of Solihull, Mrs Jenny Robinson, and Caroline Spelman MP.

The Mayor of Solihull said: “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Britain’s longest reigning Monarch, is a truly outstanding example of what it means to dedicate a life to duty and service to others.




“Throughout her reign she has consistently demonstrated her devotion and love of her subjects.

“She has done this, we must remember, while still being a wife, mother and grandmother, and now great grandmother.


“She is at the very heart of our nation; the one symbol more than any other that is loved, revered and respect by all the peoples of this United Kingdom.”

Caroline Spelman MP added: “The Queen has been an outstanding figurehead all my life. To reign with such good grace and dignity is a wonderful example.”

One of the guests, Althea Greenaway, aged 69, vividly remembers the Queen’s Coronation.

She said: “My grandparents bought their first tiny black and white television so we could watch the coronation and I cut all the pictures out of the newspaper to make a scrapbook.

“We then got presented with mugs and coins from school and I’ve still got them. I think the Queen’s fantastic, a great role model, inspirational and hard working.”

Rosie Hough who is 86 years old commented: “I was invited to the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace in 1996 as I had given 30 years of unbroken services caring for the elderly in Birmingham.

“My husband and I were able to walk through the grounds and enjoy tea, cakes and ice creams on the lawn of the palace. The Queen was wonderful and looked beautiful in a pink floral dress. It was such a special day and I will never forget it.”

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