CHILDREN from Upton Heath Primary School will sing out to give the Queen a right royal welcome to Chester on Thursday.
The youngsters are just one of the community groups invited to Chester Zoo to create a garden party atmosphere to welcome Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK.
At about 10am the Queen will officially unveil the zoo’s new Diamond Jubilee Quarter – the first public space in the zoo’s 80-year history – before visiting the black rhinos, where she will meet representatives from the rhino team and those involved in the zoo’s conservation work in Tanzania.
Prince Phillip will head to the elephants, where he will meet some of the zoo’s junior members.
There will be opportunities for the general public to line the route into the Upton tourist attraction on a first come, first served basis.
The zoo will be closed during the royal visit but will reopen from about noon once it has ended. Celebrations will continue throughout the day with music and dance workshops
To mark this special day, Chester Zoo is offering 20% off the normal admission price and Cheshire West and Chester Council will provide free travel to and from the Upton Park and Ride site.
The tourist attraction’s new £2m gateway to conservation allows visitors to see the elephants, visit the zoo shop and Bembe coffee shop before paying to go into the main zoo.
Director general Mark Pilgrim said: “The Diamond Jubilee Quarter marks the start of a new, bright future for us, which will see significant development and change.
“To have Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh join us on this most special of days and in Her Majesty’s special year is fantastic and a wonderful testament to what we are achieving through our passionate and dedicated staff. We are very much looking forward to this wonderful celebration.”
Following the opening of the zoo’s Diamond Jubilee Quarter, the royal couple will travel to Warrington, where the Queen will officially open Orford Jubilee Park.
