Northumberland MP Guy Opperman reflects on Queen's visits to his constituency

And Northumberland MP Guy Opperman has been reflecting on the monarch’s reign and her visits to his constituency.

Her late Majesty visited the Tyne Valley three times between 1974 and 1982 – including the first visit to Hexham by a reigining monarch for more than 750 years.

Mr Opperman, who represents Hexham, said: “Her Majesty visited Tynedale several times. The memories of these visits have endured for the many who attended them. She first visited Tynedale in 1974 where she visited Hexham Abbey to celebrate its 1,300th anniversary – this was the first visit to the town by a reigning monarch for more than 750 years.

“In 1982, Her Majesty opened Kielder Reservoir – a key piece of infrastructure for us all in Tynedale. The memories of her travelling through Bellingham are still vivid for the villagers who live there today. She also visited Prudhoe and Bardon Mill in 1998.

“The pictures of everyone meeting the Queen on Front Street show the incredible admiration everyone had and continues to have towards the Queen here in Tynedale.”

The MP, who was first elected in 2010, also shared an anecdote showing the interest in the royal family from Northumberland’s young people.

He added: “The most moving tributes to the life of the Queen that I’ve experienced recently, however, were earlier this year during the Jubilee celebrations. I was speaking at Henshaw Primary School about British values, and we went to questions.

“The first child asked: ‘Have you met the Queen?’, I replied saying, ‘Yes, as an MP I’ve been lucky to meet her on a few occasions.’

“At that moment the whole atmosphere changed. A sea of hands went up and we continued exclusively to talk about Her Majesty, her public duty, beloved corgis and her recent meeting with Paddington Bear, for the rest of the session.”

Since the Queen’s death at Balmoral, politicans from all parts of the political spectrum have spoken highly of her impact on the country. Mr Opperman said he was pleased the country had come together following her passing.

He continued: “Her Majesty was our beloved Queen. Her service to our country was steadfast, dutiful and compassionate.

“On the occasion of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, the poet Philip Larkin, who spent much of his time in Northumberland, wrote of her reign: ‘In times when nothing stood, but worsened or grew strange, there was one constant good, she did not change.’

“The tributes from my colleagues across the House of Commons have shown her powerful ability to bring us together. The Queen touched so many and that was reflected in the powerful tributes by my colleagues. From the lovely anecdotes from former prime ministers to Sir Keir Starmer’s powerful tribute that ‘she lived among us’, the speeches showed the best of the House of Commons.

“The Queen was the best of us and a constant in a changing world. The shock to our country will be profound, as all our lives have evolved with hers. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. They mourn their mother, and grandmother, as her country mourns her too.”