On a sunny day in July, the Town Mayor of Folkestone, Cllr Lucy McGirr, was delighted to meet with His Majesty The King, Charles III, at Walmer Castle.
Accompanying the Mayor were her Consort, Mr Tim McGirr; Corporate Support Officer, Georgina Wilson; and two representatives from local good causes, chosen to showcase the work of local charities and organisations within the town: Mrs Ann McGovern of the East Folkestone Youth Group, and Mr Richard Martin of Touchbase Care.
His Majesty had a busy day of official visits in Kent, beginning with his visit to Walmer Castle hosted by the Lord Warden, Admiral Sir George Zambellas to meet with community champions and representatives of the 14 ancient Cinque Ports, of which Folkestone is a limb of the Cinque Port of Dover. Also in the welcome party were the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, The Lady Colgrain, along with local dignitaries.
On His Majesty’s arrival, the Lord Warden gave a brief tour of Walmer Castle, the official residence of the Lord Warden and former home of King Charles’s grandmother, the Queen Mother, who held the role from 1978 to 2002. They then continued on to the Queen Mother’s Garden, which was designed and gifted to the Queen Mother on her 95th birthday, where representatives from all 14 Cinque Ports were patiently waiting. His Majesty then spoke with all representatives and community champions from every town.
The King then walked to another part of the garden to plant a tree with English Heritage volunteers, before departing the Castle to continue his engagements in Kent.
The Town Mayor, Cllr Lucy McGirr, said “I was deeply honoured to represent Folkestone to meet His Majesty The King at the Lord Warden’s reception. He was genuinely keen to recognise the hard work of local charity representatives, and I was thrilled that East Folkestone Youth Club and Touchbase Care were recognised for their hard work in our community.”
