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Emily Horton
Editor, Sheengate Publishing
Editor Emily's hello – The Surrey Downs Magazine, May 2016
What a stalwart! Ninety years of age, the longest reigning monarch in British history and still going strong. A lifetime of dutiful devotion to the great, the good and the not-so-good of the realm; a ceaseless round of polite conversation, demanding engagements and wearisome appointments with the looking glass.
But at least the subjects are grateful. Meeting or serving the Queen is an experience that one never forgets. So in this, our 90th birthday special issue, we introduce you to a variety of locals for whom the royal dream has come true.
Meet Simon Durrant, the General Manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse who gets to welcome the Queen to the Derby each year – he tells us that despite it not being an official royal engagement, Her Majesty likes to attend each year regardless. Say hello to Jo Peck of HPower, the event management company that runs the Royal Windsor Horse Show, now charged with organising this month’s HMQ90 celebration as part of the annual equine extravaganza. And then there’s Christopher and Carmen Ashton-Jones, the Surrey couple who run Sheen Botanicals Labels Ltd and who recall their encounters with the Queen at the Royal Chelsea Flower Show.
Enjoy our celebratory issue and raise a leisurely glass to the birthday girl of the year.
Emily