Following the recent and urgent message about the Bike Ride and Walk on Saturday the Norfolk Churches Trust issues the following statement.
The Norfolk Churches Trust has received with deep regret and sadness the news of the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Her life of service to the country, the wider Commonwealth and the world has been a source of inspiration, encouragement, and strength to us as we have worked to support the ancient churches which also embody so powerfully our nation’s history and culture. Our standing as a country has been upheld by her wisdom and dignity through good and more difficult times and it has been our privilege to aspire to the great qualities that she has manifested so quietly and distinctively.
The late Queen and the whole royal family are the subject of our prayers and thoughts today but most especially they are with His Majesty The King, our Patron, in the great task that lies ahead of him. The forthcoming Churches Bike Ride and Walk is dedicated to the late Queen’s memory, but we are also confident that the support which it will give to churches throughout the county will be a source of satisfaction to His Majesty whose love and deep understanding of these buildings are well known.
At this very sad time we are made aware of the importance that history and tradition play in our daily lives and that our national identity is focussed and upheld by these things. The loss of our Queen is a cause of great sorrow but also a reminder of the need to rededicate ourselves to the service of our country and to the protection and renewal of the great heritage by which we are daily sustained and enriched. Our churches are places of solace and prayer to which many people will be drawn in the coming days.
