Eileen Berrisford, aged 88, a member of Ilkeston Methodist Church, wrote a poem for the Queen’s 90th birthday.   It was read out at the Party in the Park in the summer, and the organisers of the event, Ilkeston local churches, thought it was so good they decided to send a copy to Her Majesty.   And now an appreciative reply has arrived from Buckingham Palace, expressing thanks and apologising for the delay due to the enormous amount of birthday mail received by the Queen. Members of the Nottingham Road church have had the letter with royal insignia framed for her.

Eileen, who lives in Kirk Hallam, was delighted that Her Majesty had  enjoyed the poem and taken the trouble to send a thank you letter.   This is the poem she wrote.

About our Queen

As a child I enjoyed seeing photos
Of Princess Elizabeth and Margaret Rose,
They were so very pretty
And wore such beautiful clothes.

I saw them grow into young ladies,
As lovely as any I’ve seen,
Then at the loss of her father
Elizabeth became our Queen.

For 64 years she reigned over us,
So noble and royal right through,
With a special love for her people,
Her horses and corgis too.

We are privileged to have such a Queen,
Whose faith in Jesus does not hide,
It shows in her wonderful nature,
For she asks God to be her guide.

We hope she will reign for many years more,
Fulfilling her duties as well as kind deeds,
She works so hard for her country,
God gives her the strength that she needs.

And now we are here to celebrate
Our Queen’s very special birthday,
For she’s reached the aged of ninety,
May God bless her forever we pray