On Friday 20th January 2023 King Charles and Camilla the Queen Consort, came to visit Bolton as part of the town hall’s 150th anniversary. An invitation was sent to school just a few days earlier. Excitement started to build as this news was shared with the children. Three of the children from the school were invited and two adults. To ensure fairness, names from the pupil voice group were picked from a hat and all the other children politely clapped as the names were read out.
The three chosen children; Joshua, Millie and Rowan were happy and excited to be picked. Plans were then put in place for the visit.
On the day, we arrived in plenty of time and were directed to the viewing area reserved for schools. We were given union jacks to wave and clapper boards to make a polite noise as the royal visitors passed. We waited patiently chatting to the children and adults from other schools about the occasion. We managed to get a place right at the front of the barrier.
As the time came for the King to pass by, excitement continued to build in the crowd. The cold January air did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of all who were lucky enough to be there. Then the moment came, a police motorbike went past first and it was then that we knew the king was about to arrive. Within seconds the royal car drove slowly past. We managed to get a quick glimpse of the king and his wife and he raised his hand and smiled at us. There was a cheer and hundreds of flags waved. It was a sea of red, white and blue.
The car passed by and we decided to then move across to the town hall square and wait for the king to emerge again. We did this and joined the crowds. It was a great atmosphere. Many local people had taken the time to witness the visit. The sense of occasion could be felt and there was a respectful quiet. People were chatting and smiling in polite voices.
Then after a short time the king and queen consort emerged at the top of the town hall steps. They paused and waved. The crowd cheered. A great moment. We managed to take pictures and we had a good view of the king. The children were happy to get a good view. What an experience. A moment in history.
Pupil memories of the day: Joshua, age 10, ‘The day will stick in my memory. It was fun to be invited to see the king. I felt pleased that I was picked to go’.
Millie, age 11, ‘I was honoured to be picked. I will remember the moment the king drove past and he and Camilla waved’.
Rowan age 10, ‘It was a fun day and I felt so excited to be able to go and see the king. The crowd was so energetic and it will be something I remember for ever’.
