Peter and His daughter at the Lunch.

A member of the Society honoured

for his contribution to the community.

Lunch with the Queen : Peter Roughan

H.M. the Queen is in the midst of her national tour to celebrate her 60^th Anniversary on the Throne.

The Lord Mayor of Manchesterorganised lunch for the Queen at ManchesterTown Hallon 23^rd March 2012.

He invited 200 guests from the community who have contributed something worthwhile. Among the invitees was our own Peter Roughan.

Peter is a well known figure in Prestwich, with decades of work in the local community. He is the artist who has produced many charming images of Prestwich in days gone by. Peter was also Chairman of Prestwich Art Society.

Retiring Lord Mayors ofManchesterhave traditionally been presented with a Bible to mark their term of Office.

Peter is also a skilled Calligrapher. He has embellished these presentation Bibles (in one case a Koran) with handwritten inscriptions in beautiful Copperplate lettering. He has been doing this work for 20 years. It is for this reason that Peter believes he was on the Lord Mayor’s guest list for Lunch with the Queen.

The last time the Queen came toManchesterin 2007 to distribute Maundy Money, Peter inscribed the names of the recipients on the Invitation Cards.

Peter had to keep quiet about this year’s invitation to the Royal Lunch for about a month beforehand.

The invite was for two people so Peter took his daughter with him.

Guidance Notes were issued to the guests. They were advised to come in “smart daywear” and handbags should be “small and discreet”. No photographs could be taken during the Lunch.

On the day the 200 guests assembled in the Small Hall at 12.00 noon for lunch in the Large Hall at 1 p.m.

Peter and his daughter were seated about six feet from the Queen. On their table were two men form Moss Side who had been involved in Community Projects. They were overwhelmed by the occasion and simply could not believe they had been invited to Lunch with H.M. the Queen.

There were no speeches at the Lunch. The main course was Steak and Venison Pudding with Celeriac Mash and Savoy Cabbage. At the end the Lord Mayor proposed a toast to “The Queen, the Duke of Lancaster”.

The friendliest person at the event was Sir Bobby Charlton. Peter says he was prepared to chat with everyone and have his photo taken with them.

Afterwards Peter was interviewed for TV. But they got it wrong. They said he was Chairman of Bury History Society and that he came fromBury St.Edmunds !

Congratulations to Peter. I am sure most Society members would agree that the invitation to Lunch with the Queen was an honour well deserved.

Memorabilia from the occasion.

By admin in News on April 26, 2012