COMMONWEALTH GLOBE OF NATIONS

A LITTLE PEBBLE FROM THE TOP OF SLIEVE DONARD TO THE TOWER OF LONDON!

Having already taken part in the Nation’s Toast to the NHS back in 2020, when one of our cadet adult volunteers Katy Connor, climbed on a damp grey day to the top of Slieve Donard to raise a ‘glass’ to the heroes of the NHS as part of the NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers’ Day through the Coronavirus crisis. Unknown to anyone Katy had been tasked with bringing three small stones from the mountain, she knew it was for something in connection with the forthcoming Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022, but nothing more than that.

Eventually it transpired that the Queen’s Pagaentmaster Bruno Peak had a plan in mind for the stones!  A specially commissioned “Commonwealth of Nations Globe’ was being created, featured in the globe were stones collected from each of the UK’s highest peaks including Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. , ,.  The stones represented of the coming together of the four nations and fitted nicely with the platinum, diamond, gold and silver pieces representing the Queen’s four Jubilees.   

Bruno Peak OBE, the Queen’s pageant master who designed the globe said ”This is a unique piece of art made by skilled British craftsmen and women for a unique Queen and was made with a lot of love, dedication and great skill. The globe will service as a tribute to the Queen’s 70 years as head of the 54 Commonwealth nations”. 

Katy Connor said “ I feel very honoured to have been invited to take part in such an iconic creation.  To take a little pebble from the top of Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland and know it was set in this amazing and beautiful  globe.  It was great to be able to go to the Tower of London and see the ‘Commonwealth of Nation’s Globe’ close up and also to meet some of my counter parts who had also climbed their highest peaks, across the UK. It was an experience which will stay with me forever”

The globe is currently on display in the Tower of London and featured in the lighting of the Principal Beacon at Buckingham Palace over the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.