Just before the Jubilee weekend, which seems about a million years ago now, our small but perfectly formed team here at the Gazette produced a 56-page paper packed with previews of the many events going on across our region.
On the day of publication, my colleague Zoe sent me a photo via WhatsApp of a brown envelope addressed to Her Majesty the Queen, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA. Inside it was a souvenir copy of the Gazette Jubilee special.
“Fantastic,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if she replied?”
Well, she did. Kind of. We were all hugely chuffed the other day to receive a letter (pictured) from Victoria Tuke, head of private office at the Queen’s official residence, saying Her Majesty was “most grateful to you for taking the time to write as you did, and for your thoughtfulness in sending this”. So, who knows, maybe she did have a quick leaf through and discover everything that was going on in her honour across Holderness. If she can have tea with Paddington…
Meanwhile, we’ve had a visitor in this week, Eli from Hornsea School and Language College’s Year 10, on a few days’ work experience. She’s written a couple of pieces for us in this edition, and is also working on an article about her time here, which you can read next week. I’ve told her not to mention the fact that I keep forgetting to make the tea, and that the attic may well be haunted.
She did manage to escape our crazy office a couple of times, enjoying trips out to Holderness Academy with our reporter Rebecca, and Withernsea High School with our correspondent Tim Nuttall. Huge thanks to both and, of course, to Eli, for taking everything in her stride!
