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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Nicole Wootton-Cane

A cup of tea as John bids farewell to the "greatest Queen you could ask for"... The view from a Gorton care home as staff and residents watch Her Majesty's funeral

Taking a sip of his tea, John Henshaw watches on as Her Majesty's coffin is carried through Westminster Abbey.

"She was the greatest Queen you could have ever had," he says.

John, wearing a black ribbon, joined fellow residents and staff at The Dell Care Home in Gorton to watch the funeral of Elizabeth II this morning (Monday). Union Jack flags were waved and cuppas supped as the home fell silent.

READ MORE: The Queen's funeral LIVE as nation comes to a standstill for state funeral of Elizabeth II and procession begins

Greater Manchester - and the country - paused as the Queen took her final journey; marking a moment in history.

Staff joined residents to watch the funeral (Anthony Moss | M.E.N.)

There was a feeling of sadness as elderly residents stopped to reflect and remember a monarch they lived alongside for decades.

Newspaper cutouts of the Queen throughout her life were scattered across the walls, with repurposed bunting from the Platinum Jubilee earlier this year hanging from the ceiling.

John Henshaw (Anthony Moss | M.E.N.)

The décor - a nod to the enormity of the event - also served as a poignant reminder of a long life that many at the home see as inextricable from their own.

John added: "The Queen was a nice lady. She was the greatest person to do the job for 70 years."

The Dell Residential Care Home (Manchester Evening News)

"She was 96, that's a good age that," Joe Fitzgerald said. "Seventy years on the throne. That's a good amount of time."

The Queen lived alongside these residents; aged alongside them and watched the world change alongside them. As Charles III mourned his mother, the seismic shift from Queen to King, for those saw Her Majesty as one of their own, was clear.

The Dell Residential Care Home (Anthony Moss | M.E.N.)

"It's very sad. It's a sad day," Joe added.

Some residents recalled Queen Elizabeth as if she was a friend. "I think she was lovely," Ann Winfield said. "She was a very good Queen."

Ann Winfield (Anthony Moss | M.E.N.)

As tea was served, residents raised their cups to toast Elizabeth II in a quintessentially British way. It was a quiet, measured tribute, carried out with the greatest respect. Staff lined the room as the nation fell silent, offering a comforting hand on the shoulders of residents.

Following the two-minute silence, the home broke into 'God Save the King', joining voices from London and across the UK.

The Dell Residential Care Home (Anthony Moss | M.E.N.)

"It was beautiful, it was the send off she deserved," Ann told the M.E.N.

Pragmatism and respect were clear, as was the cheeky, typically Mancunian outlook on the day's events.

The Dell Residential Care Home (Anthony Moss | M.E.N.)

"I'm just glad it hasn't rained for her," Jean Fletcher said. "She's had a good turn out."

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