Buckingham Palace 2nd June 2015
Joanna Parrott and Margaret Smith attended the WI Centenary Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on the 2nd June 2015. We left Brigg at 7.30 a.m. and arrived in The Mall at 1.30 p.m. The coach was parked alongside The Mall and we made our way, along with a few thousand others, to the entrance to the Palace. We eventually entered through the court yard and then the reception room, down the steps and into the garden. As we arrived at the top of the steps on the balcony it was a sea of colour as everyone was dressed in bright summer outfits. We joined approximately 8000 other WI ladies and saw the Duchess of Cornwall, Countess of Wessex, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Gloucester. They spent quite a while talking to the crowds in a very informal way and it was a wonderful atmosphere. It was a dry but very windy day and many had to battle to keep their hats on. We enjoyed sandwiches, wraps, cakes, sweet tarts and ice cream on the lawn and then gradually made our way back to our coach for the homeward journey, arriving back in Brigg at 9.50 after what had been a fabulous day and one of life's experiences that money cannot buy.