A Perthshire 101-year-old man has received personal thanks from the Queen for “enriching the life” of the community.
George Stewart – a member of St Martins Parish Church – was presented with symbolic coins as part of the annual Royal Maundy service.
People who have supported their local church and communities across the UK are recommended by clergy of all denominations to receive Maundy money.
Mr Stewart received the coins through the post after the ceremony was cancelled for the second year in a row amid Covid-19 restrictions.
Letter from the Queen
In a letter to Mr Stewart, the Queen expressed her thanks for his community work.
Her Majesty wrote: “I am delighted to send you the Maundy gift which I hope you will accept as an expression of my personal thanks to you for all that you have done to enrich the life of your community.
“Each year, at the Royal Maundy Service, we have an opportunity to recognise, and give thanks for, work done by countless people for the wellbeing of their neighbours; work that has often been taken for granted or hidden.”
‘A great pleasure’
Mr Stewart – an avid skier with eight great-grandchildren – said he was “honoured” to be given the money.
He said: “I was very pleased indeed to receive the Maundy money.
“It a wonderful thing to be part of such a historic event.
“We’ve a fine village in Scone and the church is at the centre of it, and I try to help it in any way I can.”
He added: “I remember every year of the Queen’s reign and I am humbled to be part of a venerable tradition.
“It is kind of Her Majesty the Queen to consider me and to remember me.
“It is a great pleasure.”
Royal Maundy
Originating from the commandment Christ gave after washing the feet of his disciples the day before Good Friday, the Royal Maundy is an ancient ceremony.
95 men and 95 women were presented with Maundy money in two purses this year to mark the Queen’s 95th birthday on April 12.
A white purse is filled with uniquely minted Maundy money while a red purse in a £5 coin and a 50 pence coin portraying the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day in 1971.
Strong faith
Minister of Scone and St Martins Parish Church Rev Maudeen MacDougall praised Mr Stewart, adding he is a strong part of the Church community.
She said: “George is a regular attender and worships Sunday by Sunday.
“His faith is strong and each Remembrance Sunday, he lays the wreath in Church and then smartly tackles an incline to lay the wreath at the War Memorial.”
Skiing
In April last year, Mr Stewart joined his son Alan – a former Team GB Olympic skier – and his family on the slopes in what was a sporting dream.
Having celebrated his 100th birthday in December 2019, he was “thrilled” to have skied before last year’s lockdown came into force.
Last April, he told The Courier: “I was very fortunate to get out skiing with Alan, his wife Ana, their daughter Cristina and the great-grandchildren in the French Pyrenees shortly before the pandemic struck.”