YOUNGSTERS have presented the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire with books of condolence to pass on to the Queen following the death of HRH Prince Philip.

On Friday, May 7, Lord Lieutenant Johanna Ropner visited Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's Church of England Primary School.

She met the staff and children class by class, outside in the school's Peace Garden. Each class had created a book of condolence for the Queen following HRH Prince Philip's death. The books contain letters, prayers and art work produced by the children. The children wanted the Queen to know that they are thinking about her and care about her. Mrs Ropner thanked the children on behalf of the Queen and will be sending these books and good wishes to Her Majesty.

The children also heard about the work of the Lord Lieutenant as the Queen's representative in North Yorkshire including her support for many charities. The children are also very proud of their Eco work as an Eco Green Flag holder school.

They talked about their recycling, litter picking and care for the school grounds.

Pupils Sam and Holly who the Year 6 School Council Leaders said: "We really enjoyed meeting the Lord Lieutenant and learning about all her charitable work. She was very interested in our Eco School and how we had managed home learning during lockdown."

Mrs Ropner said: "It was a pleasure to be able to visit Bolton-on-Swale St Mary's Primary school and see first-hand the wonderful work being done by the children and staff of our North Yorkshire primary schools."

Headteacher Nicola Dobson said: "The children were very excited to be able to host such a special visitor especially after such a challenging year for schools. It was a great boost to everyone. The children were delighted when Mrs Ropner offered to deliver their books of condolence to the Queen."