The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is taking place today as the nation comes together to commemorate her remarkable life.
HM Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September 2022.
During her reign, she served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth – undertaking an important symbolic and unifying role as a head of state, spanning numerous geographical regions, cultures, and religions.
She was not just the longest-reigning British monarch in history, but she was also the first-ever monarch to reign in the UK for 70 years.
With the UK in a period of national mourning, it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace and the UK government that the State Funeral would be held at 11am in Westminster Abbey today (Monday 19 September), and a bank holiday has been declared to allow the public the time to properly pay their respects to the late monarch.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tens of thousands of mourners have travelled to London and Windsor for the State Funeral and burial service, and many more will be gathering at different hubs across the UK to watch the historic event in real-time.
Continuous coverage of the State Funeral is being screened by many of the nation’s major broadcasters, including BBC, ITV, Sky, and Channel 4, and is expected to be watched on television by millions of people around the world.
ADVERTISEMENT
Here’s what to expect throughout the course of the State Funeral morning.
Ahead of Her Majesty The Queen’s State Funeral, a new photograph has been released.
The photo was taken to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee – the first British Monarch to reach this milestone.
8am – Westminster Abbey opens and guests start to arrive
Although the State Funeral itself does not begin until 11am, the doors to Westminster Abbey have already opened and guests have begun arriving and taking their seats.
A total of 2,000 guests are expected to attend.
ADVERTISEMENT
This includes 500 foreign dignitaries – including politicians, civil servants, some celebrities – and many ordinary members of the public selected for charitable or community works.
World leaders will be among those representing nearly 200 countries and territories.
10:44am – Coffin procession to Westminster Abbey
The procession will involve around 6,000 representatives from all three armed forces, with 98 Royal Navy sailors towing the 123-year-old gun carriage which will carry the Queen’s coffin to Westminster Abbey.
King Charles III, his siblings, and the Queen’s grandsons will be following the coffin.
They will be followed by the Queen’s son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, her cousin the Duke of Gloucester, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon.
ADVERTISEMENT
The procession is set to arrive at Westminster Abbey at 10.52am, and the coffin will be carried into the Abbey for the service.
The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is taking place today / Credit: The Royal Family
11am – State Funeral service begins
The State Funeral itself is to begin at 11am, and will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
Newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth are expected to read Lessons, while the Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and the Free Churches Moderator will each say prayers.
A sermon will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will also give the commendation, and the Dean of Westminster will then pronounce the blessing.
As the State Funeral ceremony draws to a close, The Last Post is to be played, and this will then be followed by a two-minute silence observed by all those in attendance at Westminster Abbey, and throughout the UK.
The national anthem will then be played, and a lament will close the service at midday.
The nation will come together to commemorate the remarkable life of our longest-reigning monarch / Credit: The Royal Family
Although the State Funeral will have concluded around midday, this is not the end of proceedings for the day, as the Queen’s coffin is then to make the journey to Windsor Castle.
The procession will first make its way to Wellington Arch, before arriving in Windsor and travelling up the Long Walk to Windsor Castle – where thousands of people are expected to be lining the streets to pay their respects and catch a glimpse at the coffin.
Here is a brief run-down of what is expected throughout the rest of the day:
ADVERTISEMENT
12:15pm – Procession to Wellington Arch
1pm – Procession arrives at Wellington Arch
3:06pm – Coffin and procession arrives in Windsor
3:10pm – Procession up the Long Walk
4pm – Commital Service
7:30pm – The burial
Full coverage throughout the day is to be broadcast live by the BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4, and other services, as well as being streamed for free right across the globe via The Royal Family’s YouTube channel here.
Council calls on Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use
Emily Sergeant
Residents across Manchester are being called on to help bring hundreds of empty homes across the region back into use.
Since the beginning of this year, a major review has been underway around the city’s draft strategy for bringing empty homes back into use to help meet demand for affordable homes across the city, while also improving communities by tackling empty homes that can blight an area… but now, Manchester City Council needs your help.
Following a major public consultation, the Council is now acting on feedback to accelerate plans to bring as many long-term empty homes back into active use as possible.
Although the number of long-term empty homes in Manchester is near a historic low, with the Council having managed to reduce the number by more than half since 2013, there is still more work to be done.
“Every void property is a missed opportunity to provide a family a place to live, reduce homelessness, and lessen the burden on temporary accommodation,” the Council said in a statement.
The Council is calling on the Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
So, how can residents help then? What do you need to do if you spot an empty home on a street nearby?
Well, the easiest way to report an empty home is to report the issue online here, or by emailing [email protected]. And then once that’s done, a team of dedicated empty homes officers will take up the case to find out who owns the property and work with the owner on a plan to bring the home back into use.
The vast number of empty homes are privately owned with complex histories, and there are some cases where an owner may have passed away.
While working collaboratively with housing providers, voluntary organisations and public services are also a key element of detecting potentially empty or ‘problematic’ homes to repurpose them.
Officers can also support, where required, if a communication or language poses a barrier to resolving an empty home issue.
Tailored approaches to different communities – where empty homes impact neighbourhoods in different ways – are also being considered, according to the Council.
“To think, if we could bring all empty homes back into use, then we could provide more homes for those on the housing register and take pressure off the whole housing system,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.
“The potential of making empty homes a thing of the past is huge for Manchester families looking for a place to call home – and a significant part of tackling the housing crisis.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
Urgent travel warning issued ahead of one of Manchester’s busiest event weekends of the year
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester is gearing up for what is set to be one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Manchester‘s biggest music festival, Parklife, returns to Heaton Park this weekend (Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June), with tens of thousands of people expected to make the journey to see headliners Calvin Harris, Sammy Virji, Skepta, and Zara Larsson, as well as many other well-known music names… but that’s not all.
Over at the Etihad Stadium, Take That are set to perform a series of shows across the weekend, while the Etihad Campus will also host the Women’s Netball Final at Co-op Live from 3pm on Saturday afternoon.
The city will also welcome Lily Allen and the B52s across three nights at the AO Arena, and the Women’s Cricket World Cup will draw thousands to Emirates Old Trafford on 21 June, when South Africa take on India.
So, as you can see, we’ve got a jam-packed couple of days coming up.
📣 This weekend is expected to be one of the busiest in Manchester, with multiple events taking place across the city.
🚗 Public transport, roads and venues are likely to be extremely busy.
🕛 If you’re travelling anywhere this weekend, please plan ahead and allow extra time… pic.twitter.com/iqtmlSpAOR
In fact, it’s estimated that more than a quarter of a million people are expected to be travelling to the various events over the weekend, and of course, this means the roads and public transport will be significantly busier than usual.
Whether you’re one of the many fans or just making a regular journey, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is advising everyone to ‘plan ahead’, allow extra time for their journey, and avoid the busiest areas and times.
To prepare for the increase in travel, TfGM has confirmed that there will be more trams serving event venues, alongside extended tram operating times, to ensure everyone gets home safely.
For travel to and from Parklife, the specific Parklife travel ticket – which will be available on the Bee Network app – is valid on trams and buses across Greater Manchester, and this includes relevant shuttle buses operating to and from the city centre.
An urgent travel warning has been issued ahead of one of Manchester’s busiest event weekends of the year / Credit: Steve Turvey (Supplied) | TfGM
Throughout the weekend, extra staff and TravelSafe Support Officers will be out and about across the transport network to help passengers, and TfGM will be working closely with police and other partners to manage roads and the transport network around the clock.
“We’re expecting it to be very busy across the network, with more than a quarter of a million fans travelling to various sports and music events,” commented Danny Vaughn, who is the Chief Network Officer at TfGM.
“We will have as many staff as possible on the network, running as many services as we can to ensure that the Bee Network is here to help you get where you need to go.
“So, for everyone looking to get out and about, please plan ahead, check the Bee Network app for updates and have a safe journey.”
A dedicated travel page for this weekend’s event has been set up, so you can find out everything you need to know and get live updates on the Bee Network website here.
Emily Sergeant -
19th September 2022 
