Queen's funeral: Northamptonshire communities watch ceremony together

People across Northamptonshire have gathered to watch Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and pay their respects to Her Majesty. The BBC has spoken to those who joined together at various places throughout the county to commemorate her life.

Ann Tibbs, from Corby, watched the funeral with two of her friends at the Savoy Cinema in the town.

The 81-year-old said it meant she "wouldn't be alone, sitting and watching it on the television".

She said she wanted to pay her respects to the Queen, "who will be missed very, very much".

"It was important because she's been a good Queen and we've all benefitted from having a good Queen."

Her friend, Hilary Vetere, said: "We didn't get the chance to go to London, so this was the next best thing.

"We wanted to come together as friends and share our emotions and feelings together on this day."

The 64-year-old said the Queen was "wonderful and very special".

"She will be sorely missed," she said.

Rhys Fry, manager of the Savoy Cinema, said the funeral screenings were about "giving people the chance to come together".

"The community don't necessarily get that chance at home to commemorate the Queen as part of a group," the 23-year-old said.

"It has affected everyone across the country and the world, so it's a chance for people to come together and to grieve properly."

Mr Fry said the cinema advertised one screening which sold out on the same day and so it decided to open another screen, which was "almost full".

Marek Bukowski watched the funeral at the Royal Oak pub in Blisworth and recalled watching the Queen's Coronation as a child.

"I remember it quite vividly," the 74-year-old said.

"How the procession snaked around - I was enthralled by it."

His wife, Margaret, described the Queen as "a phenomenal lady".

"It's indescribable really what I feel about her. She's just been the most amazing person. It's so sad," she said.

"When the country was down, she sort of gave us a bit of hope."

Mrs Bukowski said the funeral was "everything you'd expect from the UK".

"Just the precision - no other country could do it like we do it," she said.

Paula, landlady of the Royal Oak, said she wanted to open the pub's doors for the funeral as Blisworth was home to "some real royalists".

"We've got a lot of people on their own in Blisworth," she said.

"So I thought it would be nice to open the doors, do a bit of food and welcome people in."

She said the funeral service made her "very proud to be British".

"For a little island, we do it completely right," she said. "The whole way it's been done is lovely."

Paula described the Queen as "a very special lady".

"Over 70 years she had to deal with some horrendous things.

"I don't think anyone is going to top the Queen to be honest."

Army veteran Owen Connolly lives in a retirement village in Weedon and watched the funeral in its cinema room.

He said the day was "a very big moment in history".

"I'll never see anything like this again," the 80-year-old said.

Mr Connolly said the way he was viewing the funeral was "very different" to the way he watched the Queen's Coronation.

"I was only a young child then and watched it on a very small black and white telly, whereas now I'm watching it on a cinema screen," he said.

"It's such a big experience, it's difficult to describe."

Mr Connolly said he was "surprised and saddened" by Her Majesty's death but was pleased her funeral was a "spectacular event".

"I so feel emotional," he said.

"When I was young and went into the Army, I promised true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and just like her other soldiers - you never forget."

A complete guide to the Queen's funeral

Today, the door swings shut on the Elizabethan era

Obituary: A long life marked by a sense of duty

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]