Health workers including West Midlands nurse 'honoured' to play role in Queen’s funeral
Health workers including a West Midlands nurse described how they were “honoured” to play a role in the Queen’s funeral today.
Some marched in the funeral procession with the Queen’s coffin as part of the Civilian Services Contingent.
Among them was May Parsons, the nurse from the West Midlands who delivered the first ever Covid-19 jab outside of a clinical trial.
Ms Parsons, who is a modern matron for respiratory services at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Trust, delivered the vaccine to Maggie Keenan on December 8, 2020.
She met the Queen in July as the monarch awarded the NHS the George Cross – one of the last ceremonial medal presentations the Queen took part in.
Ms Parsons, along with frontline workers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard, accepted the award on behalf of the institution at a small ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Just two months before she died, the Queen was “full of life and humorous”, Ms Parsons said.
She said: “She was so lovely, she was so funny. She asked me what I was doing and I told her I was managing the Covid wards in my trust and I was delivering Covid vaccinations. Then (NHS chief executive) Amanda Pritchard said: ‘She doesn’t just deliver jabs, she gave the world’s first ever jab’.
“Then she quipped with: ‘Are you still alive?’ – obviously imagine how run ragged we were during the pandemic. She was so full of life and humorous – her sense of humour was top notch. I was so nervous but she made me feel at home and at ease.
"She was telling us not to look so glum in the photos. In between the shots she said: ‘Don’t look so miserable!’ It was such a special time.”
She added: “To have those moments with her made her passing more painful. There are more than a million people in the NHS to represent so it’s an honour and a privilege to represent the wonderful people of the NHS at the funeral.”
Meanwhile four St John volunteers – three from St John Ambulance England and another from St John Ambulance Cymru – marched in the funeral procession as part of the Civilian Services Contingent.
And further representatives from both St John Ambulance and the wider international Order of St John were in the congregation for the service at Westminster Abbey.
The St John Ambulance volunteers in the procession said they were “honoured” to take part.
They include Diana Martin, St John Ambulance’s unit manager for Leicester Central Event Services, who said: “It’s a privilege to be selected. It is a momentous occasion.”
Hundreds of volunteers from St John Ambulance provided medical support across London and Windsor, including scores who had travelled down from the Wes Midlands. The charity also played a key role to support Covid-19 vaccinations.
The Queen was Sovereign Head of the Order of St John – an order of chivalry –and patron to St John Ambulance. Those roles now pass to King Charles III.
