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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Stuart Wilson

The Queen in Ayr High Street: Day thousands turned out to greet Her Majesty

It was a day the town of Ayr ground to a halt.

On July 5, 1995, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II greeted thousands as she strolled down the High Street.

Her visit that day included the opening of the Bruce Day Surgery Unit at Ayr Hospital, The Tam O’Shanter Experience in Alloway then that famous walk down Ayr High Street.

Butcher Gary Robertson was among those standing outside the Pollok Williamson shop in the High Street as a young 18-year-old straining for a view.

He recalls: "Myself and my colleague Clark were in the doorway of our shop in prime position.

"I'd not long started in the shop and 27 years later I'm still here!

"The crowds gathered for hours before her arrival and at the moment she appeared near ours, we whipped out two sets of step ladders for the best vantage point."

The Queen and Prince Phillip would later go on to attend a grand lunch in Ayr Town Hall.

The memories have been recalled as a nation mourns the Queen's passing today at the age of 96.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the longest-serving monarch "died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon".

A period of national mourning is now underway.

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