Royal Visit to Wantage

Yesterday, along with hundreds of residents, I was in Wantage to welcome the Earl and Countess of Wessex who were visiting Oxfordshire as part of Prince Edward's 50th birthday celebrations.  As you will see from the photos above, it was rather a soggy occasion, with umbrellas as much on display as the flags and bunting.  However, this did not detract from the cheerfulness of all around as the Earl and the Countess seemed to enjoy mingling with the crowds.  Cllr. Jenny Hannaby and I were there as county councillors to represent our constituents and you can see us by King Alfred's statue on the right and under our umbrellas in the middle as we await the royal procession.  HRH seemed to be quite impressed with the statue and took a good look at the old King of Wessex standing over us all!

The visit had begun at Dorchester Abbey where they met Ride and Stride volunteers and cut a birthday cake.  They had lunch at Edward Brooks Barracks (Dalton) Abingdon and then went on to King Alfred's Academy to open the new £1m creative arts block.  They then went on to Crown Packaging on the Grove Technology Park before arriving back in the centre of Wantage.  Once in the market square they had a long walkabout and met the Wantage Silver Band (above right) who were playing throughout the occasion, as well as councillors, community groups, schoolchildren and members of the public.