Citizens Treated To A Great British Street Party!

Thursday, 25 October 2012

Magicians and musicians made a citizenship ceremony to remember this week, as the Registration Service celebrated its 175th Birthday.

A brass band joined street party entertainers, as 36 citizens enjoyed a one-of-a-kind, jubilee themed ceremony in the Great Hall in Winchester, to commemorate 175 years of civil registration in the UK.

Hampshire residents from all over the world, including Russia, Australia, Ghana, USA, the Philippines, Jamaica and Malaysia, pledged their allegiance to The Queen in the final stage to becoming British citizens on Wednesday 24 October 2012.

At the special event, the Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber welcomed the citizens, and the Chairman of the County Council, Councillor Andrew Joy and the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan, presented them with their Naturalisation Certificates and commemorative gifts. The ceremony ended with the National Anthem and was followed by a street party buffet for the new citizens and their families.

Citizenship ceremonies are held throughout Hampshire, by the Registration Service, as the final stage in granting British citizenship to foreign nationals.

Citizen Carol Thomas, who grew up in New York, and now lives with her husband in the New Forest, said: "I feel very comfortable with the way of life and the friendliness of people in Hampshire. I want to contribute and share everything that is great about Britain and I am entering into this citizenship with trust and respect."

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber, said: "Hampshire welcomes over a thousand citizens to the UK every year and these ceremonies celebrate the significance of becoming a British national.

"In this special ceremony, to mark the anniversary of civil registration, it has been wonderful to provide our new citizens with a taster of a true British street party, in the same year as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee."

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Exhibition from Hampshire Record Office was also on display in the Great Hall.

• Hampshire Registration Service

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