Tributes paid to ‘exceptional’ monarch Queen Elizabeth II as churches across the area host special services

Secretary of State Suella Braverman, MP for Fareham, and councillor Mike Ford, the Worshipful the Mayor of Fareham, were among those in attendance at a special commemoration service held in Fareham today (September 18).

Prayers were made and hymns were sung by the congregation at the parish church of St Peter and St Paul.

The area dean of Fareham, reverend Ian Meredith, said: ‘For most of us this year will be known as the year Queen Elizabeth died. We will never forget when we heard the news.

‘The death of the Queen has had a huge impact upon us.

‘We knew the day would come, and we braced ourselves for it.

‘We breathed a sigh of relief when she made [the Platinum Jubilee] and enjoyed it.

‘But there was still shock and disbelief when she died. Her face is on every stamp, every bank note.

‘I have heard countless tributes to her service and duty.

‘She was really exceptional. Queen Elizabeth really was such a unifying influence - a peacemaker. She was humble and took a genuine interest in people.’

Among those at the Fareham service was 12-year-old Sea Scout Grace Flatman, who was invited as the Fareham Young Citizen of Honour.

She was awarded this title in recognition of her fundraising work.

Grace said: ‘I got chosen because I raised £7,000 for Young Epilepsy.

‘I’m glad I came to the service. It was very good.

‘[The Queen] was a person who loved corgis and made this country feel safe.’

Dad Tony added: ‘I’m a very proud father. Since she was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age, she has wanted to raise money.

‘It is an honour to be invited.’

Nigel Bryant, who lives in Locks Heath, attended the service with his granddaughter Yasmin Cake to ‘pay their respects’ to the Queen.

He said: ‘It was a moving service. I have seen her a number of times - I went to the garter ceremony and stood outside, and I saw her in London once.’

Yasmin, 11, said that the service was ‘quite good’ and added: ‘I think the Queen is a nice lady. She was kind and looked after all of the people.’

Fareham couple Paul and Vanessa Keep paid a ‘special visit’ to the church today.

Vanessa said: ‘It was very nice, a lovely service.’

Paul added: ‘We were unable to get to London, but coming here means we can pay our respects.’

With Paul and Vanessa today were their grandchildren, 11-year-old Lilly and seven-year-old Matilda Keep.

Lilly said: ‘It was very heartwarming because she [the Queen] was always there for us. She was kind and caring.’

More than 100 people attended a special service at Holy Trinity Church in Gosport this afternoon.

Father Godfrey Chigumira, who led the event, said: ‘This is a memorial service on the eve of the Queen’s burial. The church is very civic and naturally, we have many connections with people who are in the armed forces and also the council.

‘This is the sort of service that brings everybody together to remember and celebrate her life.

‘People have been coming in, lighting candles, saying a prayer, signing the book and some people would come in just to have a chat.

‘She was the federative head of the church and I think that came out, even in her way of life. ‘She was, as I understand, a person who regularly practised her faith.

‘She would arrange private meetings with leading figures of the church and they would pray together.’

Reverend Mike Sheffield, who also attended the Gosport event, said: ‘I think in the conversations that I've had, it's been like a dual experience for many people.

‘The Queen has been a stabilising figure and a foundational piece of our society. To remove that for many people is quite significant, there's been a great outpouring of grief.

‘Say someone's experienced the death of a loved one, five years ago and then they hear that someone else has died. I remember and they feel that tinge of pain. What's happening now is much more amplified and so its grief upon grief would be my experience.

‘Members of our congregation are in the Coast Guard, the American Coast Guard stationed over here and they went up to London and queued through the night.

SEE ALSO: Everywhere you can pay your respects to Her Majesty in Portsmouth area

‘They stood for, I think it was 15 or 16 hours and experienced it, they found it incredibly moving and it and the way they articulated to me this morning reminded me that she's an international figure.

‘You know her influence and impact was far beyond our great nation or the Commonwealth but actually cross-cultural to many places.

‘I've never forgotten those Christmas Day messages. It felt like in her later years they had more of a sharper edge to them, which was witness to her Christian faith.’

Councillor Jamie Hutchinson, Mayor of Gosport said: ‘I was 33 years in the Royal Navy so she was my boss for that period and she's always been a figurehead to us and someone to look up to.

‘So much like everybody her death was a shock and I think it's going to take a while to sink in that she has actually gone.

‘Since she passed away the mood, it's like she’s there floating in the background, all the time. It always comes up in conversation somewhere, but it's good to speak about it.

‘Tonight, it's just to remember the Queen and celebrate her in all honesty, everybody's got their own memories of her.'

Havant dignitaries were invited to St Faith's Church to pray for the late Queen and her family and for the new King, led by the rector, canon Tom Kennar.