Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Council, Councillor Ivor Wallace, made the short trip to London on Thursday to pay his final respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“A day to remember” is how the DUP Mayor described to us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Representing the borough, Councillor Wallace joined the end of a 3-mile queue in the morning along the River Thames before eventually reaching Westminster Hall around 3:30 PM.
Wearing his chain of office wrapped in a black ribbon for the occasion, Ivor slowly filtered down the steps into Westminster Hall along with the crowd before briefly stopping beside the coffin of The Queen to bow his head in a last mark of respect to the late Monarch.
Ivor had previously attended the proclamation of King Charles at Hillsborough on Sunday before returning to the borough to host the proclamation at both Coleraine Townhall and the war memorial in his hometown of Ballymoney.
In his capacity as Mayor, Councillor Wallace — alongside council CEO David Jackson — was invited to attend a special service of reflection for The Queen at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast on Tuesday as part of King Charles’s visit to Northern Ireland.
Speaking to UTV news earlier in the afternoon, Ivor said he had “left the house at 4 o’clock” that morning, describing it as “a long day, but it’s well worth it”.
After returning home, Councillor Wilson said: “We left Ballymoney at 4am to get the early morning flight to London and made our way to the end of the queue as soon as we got there.
“I had no idea what to expect but it was an unforgettable day from start to finish. We were in the queue for around three hours before we reached the grounds of Westminster but even at that stage there was so many people in front of us it was another three hours before it was our turn to step inside.
“Despite the solemnity of the occasion, many of us waiting in line were there to celebrate Her Majesty as well as mourn her death and sharing this with others added to the atmosphere throughout.
“While none of us knew each other, we were all there for the same purpose so there was a sense of camaraderie and the Mayor’s chain generated a lot of interest.
“It certainly was a talking point, and I was able to speak to lots of people about Causeway Coast and Glens, telling them about what a special area it is.
“It is very hard to put into words what it was like when we entered the grand hall at Westminster. To be present in such a magnificent space for this part of history was a huge privilege for me, and the sense of emotion will stay with me for a long time.”
