Okehampton residents honoured the Queen’s life in a church service dedicated to Her Majesty at Fairplace Church this Sunday (September 18).

Okehampton Town Council, which originally organised the event as the Mayor’s Civic Service, announced a change in proceedings following the death of Her Majesty the Queen two weeks ago.

Over one hundred people attended the service which included a variety of hymns and prayers, including Psalm 23 – The Lord’s My Shepherd – which was known to be one of the Queen’s favourites having been sung at her wedding and during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Reverend Chris Jackson addressed the crowd, which included not only the town councillors but the Lord Lieutenant, Mayor of West Devon, Mayor of Holsworthy, Mayor of Launceston and cadet leaders.

In his speech, Reverend Jackson described Her Majesty as a ‘woman of deep faith’ who touched the lives of many during her long life, saying: ‘We know that our queen was a woman of deep faith. Her faith was not just something she made up for the cameras.

‘People are waiting to see her coffin. They are not arguing, they are not getting discontented – they felt compelled to see her. Some didn’t know why, they just had to come, others came from a sense of duty, many told touching stories of their encounters with the Queen.’

During the service, the town council prayer was also recited in which councillors promised to ‘be faithful to the will of Christ’ and ‘enrich the life of this community.’

Mayor of Okehampton Bob Tolley was invited to read a passage from the Bible and the new national anthem ‘God Save the King’ was sung.

Following the service, attendees then had the opportunity to donate a sum which will be split between Fairplace Church and the mayor’s charity Dream-A-Way, which provides holidays to disabled and disadvantaged children.

The morning’s event ended with tea and cake, served at the Charter Hall for councillors, visiting dignitaries, representatives of the armed forces and other invited guests, who were also offered the chance to sign the condolence book, moved from the Council Chamber to the Charter Hall for the occasion.

Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, flags were flown at half-mast and many events were cancelled out of respect. The town council also flew a black flag outside the Town Hall.

Mayor Bob Tolley proclaimed King Charles III as the new monarch outside St James’ Chapel.

This ancient tradition was carried out in towns across the country for the first time in over 70 years.

Okehampton’s service at Fairplace Church on Sunday came on the eve of Her Majesty’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sunday, which was attended by Heads of State from across the world, representatives from the Commonwealth, former UK Prime Ministers and the Queen’s own family. The day was declared a bank holiday by the King and unusually supermarkets and major retailers shut for the Queen’s funeral as a mark of respect.