My Trip to the Queen's Garden Party

My Trip to the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace

Our CEO Michelle and Tenant Louise went to the Royal Garden Party in Buckingham Palace.This huge honour was kindly given to them by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Jennifer Tolhurst.

Michelle has been at Acorn Village for 15 years working her way up from a nurse on a placement to becoming the CEO. In her CEO role she has made great positive changes, updating the facilities, introducing resident and tenant committee meetings and ensuring the residents and tenants are empowered to have their say making direct changes to the organisation from their feedback. She has also been heavily involved with the fundraising events, putting up gazebos & tables, helping on the day and helping afterwards too. She has been gunged for funds, took on the challenging 5k WitchFinder run last year and this year, and has recently faced her fears and completed a mile swim in open water all to raise more money to help adults with learning disabilities.

Louise is a tenant at Acorn Village, she also helps to fundraise. She has organised three 12hr challenges, encouraging everyone to get active whilst raising money by walking, cycling, running and even horse-riding continuously, She arranged the gunge-athon raising over £800 to get Michelle & our Operations Manager gunged. You will also find her in the onsite Charity Shop every Friday where she volunteers and she’s planning a dance-athon to take place very soon. Watch this space. She has raised over £2000 with her events.

We’re very proud that they represented Acorn Village, Louise has written all about this incredible day below.

On the 15th May 2019, me and Michelle were invited to the Queen’s Garden Party due to our charity work. I was nervous and excited at the same time because I had never seen the palace before let alone inside it!

We left Acorn Village round about 12.30 to go to Manningtree Train Station. Poor Michelle managed to get a ladder in her tights on the way.

When we got to Liverpool Street Station we got two underground tubes, one to Holborn and then to Greenpark where Buckingham Palace is. When we got to the palace we had to stand in a big queue and wait to go into the palace, there was so many people.

When we got inside the gates we had to walk across some gravel, I said to Michelle it feels like we are walking on cat litter! When we got to the door to the palace we had to put our phones away as we were walking through the Palace!! Inside was AMAZING, then we walked into the garden, it was huge.

We sat down and had our sandwiches and tea which was really nice.

We then went and sat near the Royal Tea Tent where we met this goose, he was very stubborn.

After we waited for ages for the Royal Family to come I was sooo close to Prince Charles and Camilla. Once the Royal Family went into their tent for their tea Michelle and I had some more sandwiches and tea with vanilla clotted cream ice-cream which was really nice.