RESIDENTS wishing to observe the nationwide minute’s silence in memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh are being encouraged to do so privately.

There will be no official public marking of the silence in Cheshire West and Chester, following covid-19 guidelines.

The ceremonial royal funeral for the late Duke of Edinburgh will be held at St George’s Chapel, today (Saturday, April 17) at 3pm.

To mark the occasion Chester Cathedral will be open for private prayer and lighting of candles.

Council flags in the borough will remain at half-mast until Sunday, April 18, at 8am, and Cheshire West and Chester Council’s online book of condolence will remain open until midnight on Sunday.

The late Duke of Edinburgh was honoured at a Sunday Service at Chester Cathedral on April 11. It was led by the Dean of Chester Dr Tim Stratford and the Rt Revd Mark Tanner Bishop of Chester.

During the service, the Bishop of Chester said: “Let us pray for the organisations of which the Duke was Patron, his work especially for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and for those whom he served through his charitable work.”

The Bishop mentioned, in his sermon, that he had earned his Duke of Edinburgh Award. Amongst the small congregation were also a few residents who had achieved the gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, including Amy Gillespie from Chester.

Amy was awarded her gold award at Buckingham Palace in 2019. She said: “I wanted to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh award as I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. The award helped me gain more resilience and allowed me to help people during the volunteering section of the award. I would encourage anyone in the borough to have a go.”

Chairman of Cheshire West and Chester Council, Bob Rudd, who attended the service, said: “Over the years, many thousands of young people in Cheshire West and Chester have completed either their bronze, silver and gold awards, including my own granddaughter."

“The award scheme helps to equip and empower young people from all communities to build resilience, confidence and skills for their future, as well as having fun and making new friends."

In Cheshire, 6,711 young people completed their volunteering section of their Duke of Edinburgh Programme between April 2019 and March 2020.