At last, Kingham Hill Pupil Danika Quick meets HM The Queen
06 Jun 2013
When HM The Queen pulled out of the Commonwealth Service in March due to ill health, Kingham Hill pupil and specially chosen posy giver, Danika Quick, was disappointed. She was allowed to keep the posy but she also wrote to Her Majesty to say how much she had missed meeting her and hoping that she would be better very soon.
A few weeks later Danika was surprised and delighted to be asked to present the posy to HM The Queen at the service at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty’s coronation. A little later the excitement rose when Kingham Hill was asked to provide three further pupils to present posies – to The Duchess of Cornwall, The Princess Royal and The Countess of Wessex.
Full of nervous anticipation Danika, Betsy Lawrence, Mary Renner and Annis Bell set-off for London on the big day with teacher, Carol Heath, and the mothers of Danika and Mary. They enjoyed a great position in the Abbey during the service and were treated wonderfully over lunch in the cloisters. During lunch they received a call from BBC Radio Oxford and were interviewed live.
Finally the big moment arrived. The royal party emerged from the Abbey to the cheering crowd and Danika, Betsy, Mary and Annis presented their flowers. The girls loved the occasion and their special moment. And the day was not over. On the way home the group received another call from Radio Oxford, who invited them to drop into their studios on the way back to school for another live interview.
The whole adventure was initiated by Mrs. Heath, who had entered a number of her pupils into a Royal Commonwealth Society essay writing competition. They had written of the enterprising Coppers 2 Water campaign at Kingham Hill that has raised £5000 for a clean water project in Ethiopia.
The school continues with the Coppers 2 Water project, and in collaboration with JCB and local printer, Kopyrite, pupils have permission to use the bucket on the front of a big, shiny JCB in Chipping Norton town centre on Saturday, 15 June, to collect much more unwanted loose change.