A thank you from the Queen

When volunteers dressed up a charity shop window for the Queen they didn’t expect to receive a letter from Her Royal Highness saying thank you.But members of St Mary’s Brownedge Church charity shop, in Bamber Bridge, were elated when Queen Elizabeth sent a card and thank you note for their homage to mark her 90th birthday.Margaret Godwin, shop manager, said: “To celebrate the Queen’s 90th year we decorated the shop window and we sent a photo to the Queen, along with a beautifully hand-made card signed by all 32 volunteers.“We didn’t expect a reply. We just wanted to say thank you from the village and show her the window. But then a letter arrived, with a beautiful coat of arms. The envelope stated it was from Buckingham Palace.“The letter was so personal and the Queen apologised for not getting back so soon as she gets a lot of cards. She said thank you for thinking if her and she loved the window. She was so appreciative of the work of the villagers and said she appreciated the trouble we went to do dress the window.“We were so moved by it. It was such a lovely thank you. We could not believe it.”The charity shop was set up 16 years ago by Margaret, as a way of raising funds for the church in Brownedge Lane.The grandmother-of-five, who also has eight great grandchildren, added: “The shop started 16 years ago for the Ampleforth Abbey Monks and we have carried on ever since. Now we work for the Salford Diocese. “We have 32 volunteers who swap between the two shifts per day. We sell clothes and small pieces of furniture. We also send clothes abroad through International Aid and we also support The Refuge.”The shop, in Station Road, Bamber Bridge, is open Monday to Saturday 10am until 4pm.