In the run-up to the coronation of King Charles III, Iocal woman Eve Booker was surprised by a call from BBC One’s ‘Morning Live’ asking her to contribute to a special Coronation Special.
Eve Booker, trustee for local older people’s charity Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership has a treasure trove of memorabilia from Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 tucked away.
This discovery came to light when last year when Agewell asked for members of the local community to come forward with their own memories of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation during the Platinum Jubilee; little did they know one of their own trustees had a whole haul of Royal collectables.
The collection was displayed locally at the time and featured in their ‘Ageing Well Magazine’. This came to the attention of the ‘Morning Live’ team when they came to do their research into their Coronation Special.
The “Morning Live” team contacted Agewell to investigate further and the following week they were over in The Thatch, Broughshane to interview Eve. Of course His Majesty has famously visited The Thatch twice in 1999 and in 1995 on visits to the local area.
Eve was featured on the BBC show with other older people from across the UK recalling her memories of the Queen’s Coronation as a young child and how she came to own such a wonderful and eclectic selection of memorabilia. She joked that 22 people were crammed into their living room watching the proceedings on a tiny 9 inch TV.
Eve was very much looking forward to watching the coronation of King Charles III and said she would be locking the doors and drawing the curtains so not to be disturbed by anyone as she watches the second coronation of her lifetime, this time on a 32 inch TV Screen!
If you require support from Agewell or would like to receive a copy of ‘The Ageing Well Magazine’ please contact the Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership office on 028 2565 8604.