Funeral advice offered to Gosport residents
By Connor Steel
GOSPORT BOROUGH COUNCIL have released an update on their services for next week as they prepare for the National Day of Mourning scheduled for September 19; with some minor disruption likely as staff and partners are given an opportunity to pay tribute to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her funeral.
Following other local authorities nationwide Gosport Town Hall will be closed throughout the day on Monday and will reopen as normal at 9am on Tuesday morning (September 20). However emergency assistance will still continue to be provided through the Council’s Out of Hours service, with further details available online.
More importantly waste collecting, including general waste and garden waste services, will be suspended on September 19. Residents who normally have their bins collected on Monday will see them emptied 24 hours later on September 20 (Tuesday); covering both normal rubbish and recycling depending on their schedules.
All other collections in the week will further be delayed by one day through to the Friday collection, which will now be collected on Saturday, September 24. Normal collection services will resume from the following week (September 26) with local residents asked to be understanding to these historical and unique circumstances.
Furthermore Hampshire County Council have announced that their HWRC in Grange Road will be closed on Monday, with all bookings postponed and customers contacted. However the HWRC will remain open to the public over the weekend and is taking online booking slots, with normal service resuming from Tuesday AM.
Gosport Leisure Centre and local splash parks will all remain closed on the bank holiday, reopening as usual on the morning of September 20. It is further expected that many local businesses and sectors will also close on Monday with more announcements due before Friday evening and residents are asked to keep updated.
Due to the period of national mourning that started last Friday (September 9) the decision has been made to postpone the Gosport Brouhaha and Give it a Go Festival until a future date. This was a council event due to be held on September 17 in Walpole Park and featured as part of the ‘Arts in the Park’ summer programme.
In related news Gosport residents have been invited to participate in the national one minute silence, which will be observed by the country at 8pm on September 18. This was announced by Downing Street earlier this week and will be accompanied by two minutes of silence as part of the official state funeral order of service.
Residents are furthermore welcome to attend a memorial service in Gosport to honour Her Majesty, which is set to take place at Holy Trinity Church on Sunday evening (September 18). It is due to begin at 6:30pm and conclude at 8pm, with live video streams available via this link or on YouTube if visitors are unable to attend.
Floral tributes are still welcome for Her Majesty with a designated area allocated in David Lawrence Square; with many visitors paying their respects as pictured above. Books of condolence can further be signed in the Town Hall, Gosport Discovery Centre, Holy Trinity Church and lastly St Faith’s Church in Lee-on-the-Solent.
Readers can find out more information and local updates on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II by visiting the Gosport Borough Council and Hampshire County Council websites. Developing national updates can further be seen by visiting mainstream media sites like BBC News, Sky News and ITV News over the next few days.
PICTURED BY CONNOR STEEL: Floral tributes line up designated area in Gosport following passing of Her Majesty the Queen, with residents encouraged to add their own until the morning of Monday, September 26.
