PICTURES: Inverness community throws a party for the king ahead of coronation
Where more appropriate to celebrate the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Camilla than the city's Coronation Park?
Around 100 locals turned out on Wednesday for an older person’s Coronation Lunch organised by the Merkinch Community Centre at Coronation Park – so named as it was completed around the time of the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the mother of King Charles, on June 2, 1953.
And what a right royal time everyone had, with a slap-up meal of roast beef, roast tatties and Yorkies followed by trifle, all for £6.
Elsie Normington, the centre’s development manager, said: “I feel it is such an important occasion for those people of the Queen’s coronation generation.
“I know street parties for the coronation are more an English thing, but we wanted to do our wee bit for the older people.
“We have a weekly lunch club with meals from the school kitchen, so they did us proud again with the Coronation Lunch.
“There was no alcohol, but good apple juice on the tables.”
Entertainment was laid on too, and a local ukulele group and Mrs Normington’s 10-strong acappela group The Songbirds soon had people singing along and having an occasional dance.
Elsie added: “We had an amazing time, people absolutely loved it.
“It was a wonderful afternoon especially for the older people, many who remembered the 1953 coronation.
“The ukulele group played music from back then so it was a trip down memory lane for many.
“We served food for 100 and had a big team of 12 volunteers to help and they had a meal too.”
