Queen Elizabeth II: Tributes from across Somerset

People from across Somerset have paid tributes to Queen Elizabeth II, following her death at Balmoral.

The Queen visited the county in her Silver Jubilee year of 1977.

Annie Maw, Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, said, the Queen's message has always been one of "peace, unity and partnership".

"We have lost one of the greatest people of our age, a person without whom life will never be the same," she said.

The Queen also visited Yeovil and Crewkerne, in May 2012, as part of the Diamond Jubilee Tour, an occasion people described it as an "unforgettable day".

Rachel Smith was working as a cleaner at Taunton Police Station when the Queen was driven through the town on her way to Yeovil.

"I remember feeling upset that me and my work colleagues would miss the Queen's visit. However, the Chief Insp made an announcement we could all leave the police station to see it," she said.

"The moment she arrived was surreal. She was dressed in a light green suit and hat with flowers on and looked completely beautiful.

"She had that amazing ability to make you feel she had directly seen you and was waving to you alone. The moment lasted a few seconds but the memories will live forever."

Once the Queen had arrived in Yeovil, South Somerset Councillor Mike Best escorted her around the town.

"Once I put aside the fact she was the Queen, and we started talking I felt so relaxed," he said.

"It is amazing how she made me feel at ease in the conversation and the way she conducted herself was just wonderful.

"Her devotion to service carried on until her very last days and as a nation, I know she will be greatly missed and her memory will live on for a very long time."

The Queen's final visit to Somerset was to see the stables of champion horse racing trainer Paul Nicholls, in Ditcheat in 2019.

Mr Nicholls said: "It was a fantastic day, one I will never, ever forget.

"It was two weeks before the Cheltenham Festival, and I was more nervous on the day she visited than on the day of the festival.

"It was a privilege to invite her to yard and show her some of the champion horses. We chatted about the Cheltenham Races, and she said she'd seen some of them [the horses] in their winning races.

"She knew everything about racing, it was clearly her passion."

Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, Mark Shelford, said: "As a young soldier of 19, I swore allegiance to the Queen and her family to protect this country.

"I deeply feel and share the sorrow felt by this united nation at the passing of our Commander-in-Chief."

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