Published on Wednesday 14 September 2022
Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole will join with the nation in mourning the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the day of the official state funeral (Monday 19 September) and support residents to do the same.
Residents in each of the three towns who wish to watch the state funeral will be given the opportunity to view the arrangements taking place in London via three big TV screens being provided thanks to BCP Council. They will be in place on Monday at Poole Park next to the The Kitchen waterside park, Christchurch Quay and in Bournemouth’s Lower Gardens.
Graham Farrant, Chief Executive of BCP Council, said:
"We want to give BCP residents the opportunity to come together, as a community and collectively mourn the passing of our late monarch, who was widely cherished and will be remembered fondly by many residents. It is right that on this unique occasion we take additional steps to make this possible for all those who cannot or do not wish to travel to London in person.
"In line with national guidance, we will also be joining with other local authorities and pausing non-essential services during the Bank Holiday.’’
In response to the Bank Holiday announcement, a number of changes are being made to BCP Council services on 19 September.
- All Family Hubs and the Family Information Service will be closed.
- The Museum services will be closed.
- Two Riversmeet Leisure Centre will be closed and please check locally for the opening hours of your local centre.
- Highcliffe Castle & Tearooms will be closed, while Upton Country Park will remain open with the tea rooms on reduced hours over the afternoon.
- Our seafront and open spaces will be open but with reductions in services where appropriate.
- Working with families, Bereavement Serviceshas been able to stand down funerals that were due to take place during state funeral times and all families with pre-booked burials or cremation services have sought new dates. Cemeteries will remain open.
- Kings Park Nursery will be closed and Queens Park Golf Course and Café will be closed for the duration of funeral. All in-house park cafés, mini and crazy golf attractions will be closed.
- Car parks will be open and parking enforcement will also be operating.
- Building control services will operate emergency cover.
- Twin Sails Bridge and Poole Lifting Bridge will be kept in the down position and open to traffic with no lifts taking place on Monday.
- Household waste collections will continue but will start early. The council aims to complete as many refuse, recycling and food waste collections as possible by 10:30am. Residents are asked to put their bins out the evening before collection. Any outstanding collections will be picked up at the earliest opportunity.
- Garden waste services in Poole will start at 2:30pm. In Bournemouth and Christchurch, services will be carried out in the morning.
- All household recycling sites in the BCP area will be closed.
- Commercial bins collections will operate, finishing at 10:30am. Pre-booked bin deliveries and bulky waste collection services will operate. Skip services and weighbridge will be closed.
- Cleansing services will operate, prioritising Town Centres and key open spaces.
- Public toilets will remain open.
Chairman of BCP Council, Councillor Nigel Hedges, said:
"Ahead of the state funeral, there will be non-civic and faith-led events taking place throughout our communities to commemorate Her Majesty the Queen. Our books of condolence will remain in place and accessible except on the Bank Holiday. Floral tributes may continue to be laid at the War Memorials in Bournemouth and Poole, and at Christchurch Priory. I would also like to remind you that there will be a nationally observed one-minute silence taking place this Sunday at 8pm. I’m sure we will all stop what we are doing and to take this moment to pause and reflect on Queen Elizabeth’s lifetime of service.’’
For further service updates, please visit BCP Council’s website.