Video: University welcomes Her Majesty The Queen

Thursday, 28 June 2012

Her Majesty The Queen greets University Chancellor Sir John Madejski

'I am extremely grateful to everyone involved in making the Diamond Jubilee Garden Party such a success.' Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor

Students from the Department of Film, Theatre and TV have filmed, directed and produced a short video of the summer garden party held at the Greenlands campus on Monday...

Watch the video on YouTube >>>

Over 4,000 guests joined Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on Monday 25 June, for a summer garden party on the beautiful lawns of the Greenlands campus in Henley.

The event was hosted by the Lord Lieutenants of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire as part of HM The Queen's UK-wide Diamond Jubilee tour. The stunning Thames-side setting of our Greenlands campus, just outside Henley on Thames, is close to where the three counties converge and under glorious skies provided the perfect backdrop for the celebration.

Many thanks to the hundreds of members of University staff, particularly those at Greenlands, who worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth planning and running of the celebration.

The event commenced with a river pageant marking the role and impact of the River Thames on the Thames Valley region for more than 1,000 years. Over 30 boats, including a long boat crewed by the fearsome University of Reading rowers who were all dressed as Vikings, featured in the pageant showcasing all aspects of the River.

Her Majesty was introduced to individuals from across the three counties including those representing business and the public and voluntary sectors as well as senior University and Henley Business School staff. The Queen also unveiled a specially engraved Welsh slate plaque, created by a Newbury-based stonemason to commemorate the Royal visit as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Her Majesty then cut a celebratory cake that was designed, baked and decorated by students from colleges in Newbury, Oxford and Aylesbury.

Guests mingled with Terry Wogan, Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave, among other well-known faces, and had the opportunity to find out about representative companies from the three counties. The 2010 and 2011 Formula One World Champions Red Bull Racing, based in Buckinghamshire, displayed their winning racing cars, and local musicians, including the Berkshire Maestros, provided musical accompaniment for the afternoon.

Over 1,000 litres of tea, 500 litres of lemonade and a selection of sweet and savoury treats, including cucumber sandwiches (using 300 loaves of bread), Oxfordshire blue cheese and Buckinghamshire leek tarts, and Henley's traditional chocolate brownies were produced and served by University catering staff.

Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor said: "We were delighted to host yesterday's memorable event at Greenlands. It offered a wonderful opportunity to showcase Henley Business School and the University more generally. We did this with style and aplomb and I am extremely grateful to everyone involved in making the Diamond Jubilee Garden Party such a success. I know that months of planning and effort were required to ensure everything went so smoothly on the day.

"I had the opportunity to meet many of the guests yesterday, and without exception, they were highly complimentary about the organisation of the event, the welcome they received, the beautiful surroundings and the superb catering. Staff and students pulled together wonderfully, and it was a genuine, and typically Reading, team effort."

The event also formed part of a major Jubilee Fund raising appeal for the four Thames Valley Community Foundation charities (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Milton Keynes), which exist to strengthen communities and enrich local life by inspiring and supporting charitable giving. Guests

Guests at the party were representatives from all walks of life including public service, business and commerce, the armed services, emergency services, education, voluntary organisations, the arts, sports and the media, as well as a number of members of the public who were allocated tickets via a public ballot.

View more photos from the event on Flickr >>>

Look out for a video of the event created by students from the Department of Film, Theatre and TV in the next few days.