By Genny Jones a member of Gravesham School Pastors

Background
It was not my intention to join the patrol, as on the Thursday I had queued up for 8 hours to see the Queen laying in state. Interestingly whilst queuing, there were some street pastors chatting to us in the crowd.

When the message came from the Gravesham School Pastor Coordinator concerning a Joint Street and School Pastor patrol, I felt the need to attend and quickly volunteered. The reply came back with all the details. We had to be there for 8am in the morning. This was going to be an issue as on the tv they mentioned about trains/underground being closed.

The day
I decided to get the 5.30am train from Gravesend to Charing Cross so as avoid any delays or the rush. Whilst on the train I met a family with children, and we got talking. I was amazed the kids were up so early and excited to go and see the Queen. I spoke to the parents about being a school pastor and what I was going to be doing with the others, one of the little boys remarked- ok so you are a pasta? We all smiled. His mum then explained the difference. This little boy then decided to tell jokes all the way, and he made us giggle so much. At one point his brother moved opposite to me, and we started to play peek-a-boo. It was just so funny, especially so early in the morning.

On reaching Charing Cross we said our goodbyes. It was as if the whole world was wide awake. I managed to navigate my way out and started the walk to central hall because stations were closed. So many people all walking so fast. There were even children being pushed in their buggies. There was a melting pot of people from all cultural backgrounds and so many road closures and confusion as to which way to go.

Mike the organiser from the street pastors was great as he kept updating us on closures and where to go via WhatsApp messages. I seemed to be walking around in circles talking with various people as I went along, they all were as confused as I was. I saw a guy with his TV camera and microphone and decided to follow him, when I caught up with him I told him that all I wanted to do was to go and register with our team. He was a very nice man. He walked towards one of the policemen and explained where we wanted to go. We were given a different direction. We somehow lost each other. I was beginning to panic as this was now about 7.15am . I said a quick prayer and decided to put on my school pastor’s jacket and hat and the miracle happened. I managed to get to a group of police officers and showed one the email from Mike with my ID. After checking he got one of the security officers to walk with me away from the crowd to my destination. It was such a relief. I thanked him.

Meeting the team

I then went in the Emmanuel room and joined Mike and some of the others who I recognised. Everyone was friendly and we introduced ourselves and got chatting. Everyone was so friendly. After a while, Mike the organiser briefed us about the day and put us all in groups with a given area to cover. We prayed before we left.

On Patrol

 

Walking out, we initially just saw the policemen and security guards who seemed relaxed, and they chatted with us. Our group had to walk towards Victoria station. It was not that busy, so we decided to follow the direction of the crowd. As we walked, we smiled and chatted to people. One lady was so stressed and anxious as she wanted to go to her house, but with all the diversions she did not know what to do. We managed to calm her down and spoke to a policeman who was able to help her. We continued in our group. You could sense that something historical was about to happen. We chatted in our groups, talked with passers-by, and some even wanted us to pose with photos. It was good to hear all the different reasons people wanted to be there.
We got to a point where the crowds were waiting. My group partner Rachel and I found spot where we could stand and observe the crowd. We took the opportunity to take photos of the back of the crowd.
It was a long wait, but during that time we chatted to people. One family had travelled all the way from Australia as they felt they had to be there because they really loved the Queen. There seemed to be a lot of tourists too. There was the Dutch TV covering the event and they got to interview people. Even though some people were at the back of the crowd, they did not mind, as they felt they wanted to be there with others.
We played with the leaves with some of the children. We helped a few people to climb up the pillars to have a better view. It was good to talk to people about what we do and on a few occasions people thanked us for being there. We continued to chat to people as we waited for the service which was being played out. You could feel the anticipation as the time was drawing new for the service to be broadcast.

The service

As the service started the atmosphere changed to a sombre mood. Even though it was just audio, you could just imagine what was happening as there was also running commentary. I noticed a number of people singing along to the hymns, and some people were crying as the service finished. We moved into comfort and chat to people who shared how they felt. For some the sadness was not just for the Queen, but for family members they had lost, like one of the men I spoke to who had lost his mum not too long. His tears were real, and I could sense his pain, and smiles as I asked him to tell me some good things about his mum. It was such a priceless moment for me.

The procession
At various times you could see camera’s out as different parts of the procession went past. When the coffin came passed you could hear the hush, some people mad the sign of the cross, some took their hats off . There was also spontaneous clapping. It really seemed as if for a few seconds the whole place stood still. There were so many people and as we were at the back we could see the procession from people’s phones. LOL. There were two men who had small climbing stools which they allowed us to use to have a better view of the procession. We had such fun moments trying to see.

After the procession
It was a different type of atmosphere as everyone seemed to just walk in a much relaxed manner. Some people had picnics, so they sat down in groups eating and chatting, it was such a good sight, as if it was a big send off party for The Queen.

As we walked around again, we had time to talk to people, ask them how they were feeling, and even gave a few hugs. A few people stopped to chat to us and say thank you. Still in our group we walked to our base and when we arrived it was good to sit down eat with the others and exchange our experiences of the day. Someone had even left a selection of biscuits and sweets for us to enjoy. This was a good moment as I got to find out a bit more about the others. Everyone was so friendly and helpful especially Mike, who despite some of the challenges, got us through in such a calm manner.
Genny Jones

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/confidentqueen
Street, School and Response Pastors are initiatives of Ascension Trust.
https://www.schoolpastors.org.uk/locations/gravesham-school-pastors/
https://www.ascensiontrust.org.uk/response-pastors/