Clergy support grieving visitors as thousands lay flowers at Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk

  • Watch Callum Fairhurst's report from Sandringham

Clergy have been offering support to grieving visitors outside the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

A sea of flowers has continued to grow at the gates of the retreat where the Queen spent many Christmases with her family.

Some of the visitors have been visibly moved by the experience and members of the clergy have been on hand to offer support.

Revd Rachel Dines, The Vicar of Hunstanton and Saxon Shore, said they were on hand "if anybody wants to talk about things".

Revd Dines said: "The experience of losing our Queen touches everybody's hearts and lots of people are feeling grief for losing the Queen.

"Also it's reminding them of what's happened in their own lives. People are losing people they love at the moment and it's all mixed up with that.

"So we're here to chat, for people to share good stories and happy things, but also to share and to minister to them in their grief as well."

People of all ages have been laying flowers at the gates of the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk following the death of the Queen. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Visitors Kevin and Kay Boyle said they were both feeling emotional after coming to Sandringham.

"It's funny how when you're here you start to feel a bit emotional about it," said Mr Boyle. "It's a sad moment, especially when you get here and see everything.

"I served in the TA for five years and obviously she was the head of the army and I swore allegiance to her then.

"She's always been the figurehead of the country and the Commonwealth."

Kay Boyle said: "I don't know why, I'm feeling tearful actually. The Queen is all we've ever known all our lives."

Hundreds of people have been arriving at Sandringham in Norfolk. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Susan Bryan, who lives near Sandringham, said she had met the Queen and wanted to pay her respects.

"My daughter used to sing in the Sandringham Choir here many years ago, in fact it was back in the year 2000," she said.

"So that meant on Christmas Day she was allowed to bring two members of her family into the church.

"So we used to get invited to church on Christmas Day, so it was really nice. We used to see all the Royal Family that were present for that day."

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