What follows is a beautiful message from Solefield parent Claire, mum to twins, Alexander and William; we wanted to share it with the Solefield community:
"I am incredibly proud of my sons who desperately wanted to join the queue and pay their respects to the Queen who is lying in state until the funeral on Monday.
We joined the queue at 7 pm and said our goodbyes at 7.45 am the next morning. We met the most amazing people and we exited the experience with the same groups as we entered. Walking and being on our feet all night in the bitter cold was not easy, especially for ten year old twins but we were holding vigil. Thank you to all the businesses who opened their doors and offered use of their warmth, their facilities and their care. Thank you to the households offering refreshments, to the Police, Fire Service and Ambulance crews and the thousands of volunteers. Special gratitude to The Understudy opposite IBM’s previous South Bank office where we managed to rest during the funeral rehearsals 03.00-04.00.
The outpouring of human kindness, united in the nation’s grief has been extraordinary. What a phenomenal experience that will last all our lives.
I cannot explain my pride in the boys’ resilience, resolve and ability to stay upright and moving forward through the night. The number of motivating comments and admiration to them from the general public, the police, the military staff and volunteers are far too numerous to mention. Solefield School has played a big role into building these boys into young men who are inspiring, strong, kind and resilient characters.
There were very few children in the queue overnight, for good reason: the sheer exhaustion and cold would put most off, however: every time we discussed stopping - the response was always to carry on just a bit more. The boys talked to our new found friends in the queue, motivated each other and shone as the sun came up and we crossed Lambeth Bridge. A senior ranking police officer stopped them to tell them personally how proud he was and how what they had accomplished was extraordinary.
We had a rather sleepy and sore weekend, but we have memories to last a lifetime."
