A letter signed by thousands of people has been delivered to Buckingham Palace thanking the Queen for 60 years of service.The Big Jubilee Thank You was signed by members of the public in churches and cathedrals across the country.
Signatories included bishops, vicars, Scouts, Girl Guides and Mothers' Union members.
Many people chose to add their own comments and words of thanks to the letter, which was coordinated by the Church of England and HOPE Together.
Durham Cathedral and the Diocese of Europe chose to present the signatures of thanks in beautifully bound books.
The Diocese of Portsmouth got locals into the spirit of the occasion by running a competition with school children to design a cover for their thank you letter.
The competition was won by nine-year-old Ellie Davidson from Brighstone Church of England Primary School on the Isle of Wight, who was treated to a VIP tour of HMS Warrior in Portsmouth and tea with the captain.
Hornchurch Methodist Church was one of many churches choosing to illustrate its thank you’s with pictures from its Big Jubilee Lunch event.
A child from the parish of Earsham in Norwich Diocese contributed a poem to her thank you: “Much experience you have gained, 60 years you have reigned, You wear a lovely gown, You wear a Shining Crown, You Sit on a Golden Chair, Which Makes Me Look and Stare, I wish I was just like you, I wish I could meet you too.”
Messages of thanks included: “You have been the one person we can all depend upon. May you enjoy many more years on the throne”; “Thank you for a wonderful 60 years of dedication and loyal service”; “When even my children in their 20s are staunch royalists, I realise what an amazing job you have done throughout your reign.”
Dr Rachel Jordan, National Mission and Evangelism Adviser for the Church of England, said: “It was a great honour to deliver The Big Jubilee Thank You - a moving collection of messages and letters created during the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in cathedrals and churches across the UK and Europe, to express our gratitude to The Queen for her faithful service and Christian witness over her 60-year reign.”
Contributions to the Big Jubilee Thank You came from Church of England, Baptist, Methodist, ELIM, Catholic and independent churches.
They were compiled into one Big Jubilee Thank You delivered to Buckingham Palace by Dr Rachel Jordan, the Church of England’s National Worship and Evangelism Adviser, Roy Crowne, the Executive Director of HOPE Together, and the Rev Ian Bunce, Head of the Mission Department for the Baptist Union of Great Britain.
They were received by Christopher Sandamas, Chief Clerk at Buckingham Palace.