This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 5 November 2013. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
The Queen hands Maundy money to the elderly at York Minster in 2012.
THE Queen will be handing out Maundy Money to pensioners from Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire next month. Every year the Monarch visits a UK cathedral or abbey to give out Maundy coins to elderly people in recognition of their service to their community and church. This year's visit, on Thursday March 28 will be the first time she has visited Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford for the annual ceremony.
Buckingham Palace will invite 87 men and 87 women from the Diocese (in line with the Queen's age) to receive the special coins. The Rt Revd Colin Fletcher, the Bishop of Dorchester, said: "It's very exciting and a great honour for the city and the Cathedral but it is a particular honour for the 87 men and 87 women who will be receiving the Maundy money during the presentation.
It is in recognition of everything they do for their church and communities, although they are only a tiny proportion of the people who give so much in our Diocese. "This is the first time that the Queen has come to our Cathedral for this purpose during her reign so it is a huge honour for the Cathedral, the Diocese, the city and the Thames Valley as a whole. "Each of the recipients will be accompanied by a companion on the day.
Sadly no tickets are available to the general public as the seating has to be rearranged in the Cathedral to allow Her Majesty to move around to give the purses to the recipients. "Annette Jackson, 84, a retired LLM in the Hambleden Valley was one of 86 women and 86 men who were selected to go to York Minster last Maundy Thursday, to receive the traditional money from the Queen.
The service was a particularly special one for the Jubilee Year, with representatives from each of the Church of England's 43 dioceses attending the event at the famous minster. Annette said that when she first heard she had been selected to go to the service she was "absolutely terrified".
She said: "At first I said no and I had to be persuaded to go.
I felt that there were so many other people who are far more worthy than me, but I was persuaded and I took my husband and my son. "The Queen was charming.
She smiled and said 'this is for you' and made you feel that she was really giving you something. " ;