21 September 2016

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

21 April 2016 was the special date that marked the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen and East Grinstead joined with a large number of communities around Great Britain by holding a Beacon Lighting ceremony. During the evening a special birthday card, designed by the Town Promotions team, was available for signing. The card, which  had previously been at the tourist information desk in East Grinstead library and taken to the local primary schools, was signed by the Mayor, Councillors and staff of the Town Council and East Grinstead residents and pupils. It was then sent to Buckingham Palace.

The Town Clerk, Julie Holden, has now received a letter of thanks on behalf of the Queen and copies will be presented to each of the Primary Schools as thanks to the staff and pupils who signed the card. As the letter has been received at the start of a new school year, many of the pupils involved will have moved on to secondary education, however, when contacted, head teachers at both Imberhorne and Sackville schools, said they would share the Queen’s good wishes with their current year 7.

The letter is also on display in the window of  East Grinstead Library.