2022 Celebrations and Commemorations at Scratchley Hall: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Published on 08 December 2022 11:41 AM

On Monday the 19th of September we welcomed some of our older people into Scratchley Hall where we televised the funeral as the nation laid Her Majesty the Queen to rest.

The death of Her Majesty left a gap in so many of the lives of the older people who pass through our doors at Age UK Croydon as well as people of the wider Croydon community.

The Queen was dear to our hearts, having visited Croydon four times during her reign; first for the opening of Croydon College, then later to open the popular Queens Gardens. Her most recent visit was during the South London tour for the Golden Jubilee in 2002, when she paid a visit to the Brit School. Her Majesty the Queen took time to meet residents on her visits to Croydon, including the residents of Whitgift Almshouses in North End. Her Majesty has even had lunch at Croydon’s very own Fairfield Halls.

Age UK Croydon were glad to be able to come together with some of our local residents to reflect on the life of Her Majesty the Queen and share our fond memories on the day of the funeral. We would like to thank Croydon TV Repair for their very kind donation of two large screen televisions. This donation enabled us to make this happen and offer our community a place to go to mark this special day. Kaydian, our Client Liaison Officer who assisted at the event said; “It was an emotional day at Age UK Croydon, people came together and paid their respects. Even if you’re not a royalist you can appreciate everything the Queen has done for our country. It was nice to be able to come together and share that moment to mourn the loss of the Queen.”

To come together at Scratchley Hall was all the more meaningful as it was here, only back in June 2022, where we celebrated Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The extended Bank Holiday marked Queen Elizabeth II as the first ever British Monarch to celebrate 70 years of service. Scratchley Hall was filled with joy, live music and dancing, beautiful decorations and flowers and packed with the older people of Croydon dressed to impress and ready to enjoy the day.

This event lifted the spirits of so many of us after the tough months during covid restrictions. We can now look back on this Bank Holiday weekend not only as a landmark in history but a joyous day for Scratchley Hall and our Croydon residents who attended the celebrations.

Credit photography by Ula Soltys