School's celebrations get Royal seal of approval with letter from The Queen

A school has had a Royal seal of approval after receiving a letter on behalf of the Queen to cap its 90th birthday celebrations.
St Aidans Primary School head boy Callum Bromley and head girl Emily Heslop with their letter from the Queen.St Aidans Primary School head boy Callum Bromley and head girl Emily Heslop with their letter from the Queen.
St Aidans Primary School head boy Callum Bromley and head girl Emily Heslop with their letter from the Queen.

St Aidan’s Primary School, in Loyalty Road, Hartlepool, celebrated turning 90 in May.

It was just a matter of weeks before The Queen herself reached the same milestone.

The letter sent to Callum and Emily.The letter sent to Callum and Emily.
The letter sent to Callum and Emily.
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Because of the coincidence, the school’s head boy, Callum Bromley, and head girl, Emily Heslop, decided to write a letter to Buckingham Palace.
In it, they sent their congratulations to The Queen for her upcoming birthday, and explained about their own celebrations back in Hartlepool.

Much to their surprise, they received a reply from the palace this week – leaving them “jumping for joy”.

Lynn Chambers, the headteacher of St Aidan’s Primary School, said: “We received a really lovely letter with a card addressed to the head boy and girl, which was really nice.

“It said that The Queen wanted to thank them for the letter they sent, and that she was interested to hear the school had also turned 90 this year.

The Queen acknowledged the pupils' birthday message.The Queen acknowledged the pupils' birthday message.
The Queen acknowledged the pupils' birthday message.
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“It also said The Queen hoped we had enjoyed our celebrations and explained why it had taken a while to reply.

“It was extremely nice that they got back to us, and the children were over the moon, particularly Callum and Emily.

“They came in buzzing. They were absolutely made up, and literally jumping for joy.”

The letter was signed by lady-in-waiting Richenda Elton, and also included was a photograph of the Queen alongside a message from her thanking the children for their birthday message.

The letter sent to Callum and Emily.The letter sent to Callum and Emily.
The letter sent to Callum and Emily.
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The school’s birthday celebrations had been a huge success in May, with pupils dressing up in 1920s outfits for the day.

Ms Chambers added: “It was a wonderful day and we all enjoyed it so much.

“It will always be remembered and now we have something else to remember it by.

“The Queen’s birthday had received a lot of coverage on TV, and because the birthdays were only a few weeks apart, our head boy and girl asked if they could write to The Queen.

The Queen acknowledged the pupils' birthday message.The Queen acknowledged the pupils' birthday message.
The Queen acknowledged the pupils' birthday message.
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“The palace must have received so many letters this year, so to receive a reply was quite something.

“The letter even explained why it had taken a while for them to get back to us. It was really lovely for everyone concerned.”