The region paid its final tribute to the Queen Mother yesterday. Mark Foster found a congregation, not in mourning, but celebrating a long and illustrious life

THE peal of bells which rang out across the City of York yesterday afternoon could not have been more fitting.

Those same great bells tolled for the first time less than two years ago, when they were installed in the city's Minster to honour the 100th birthday of the Queen Mother.

Yesterday, when they sang out once more, it was not in mourning at her passing but in celebration of her long and eventful life.

The crowds that thronged the capital for her lying in state and funeral may have long dispersed, but about 1,500 people still went to the cathedral as the region paid its own tribute at a service of thanksgiving.

They came from many backgrounds and many faiths but were united in their wish to honour the memory of a remarkable woman. York Minster, with its long association with the former Duchess of York, was the most appropriate setting.

It was an emotional day for the Duke of York, who returned to his adopted city for an event which, for him, was still tinged with sadness for the loss of his redoubtable grandmother.

The Dean of York, the Very Reverend Raymond Furnell, set the tone, referring to the "unique place the Queen Mother occupied in the hearts of the nation, the Commonwealth and the world".

After a reading from the Duke - John, chapter 6, verses 35-40 - the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, took to the lectern.

He reminded the congregation of the lasting relationship with the region that the Queen Mother had sustained throughout her long life and spoke of the deep affection in which she was held by young and old alike.

The archbishop even raised a chuckle which resounded round the nave when he spoke of her visit in 1987 to look at the work being carried out following the great Minster blaze of 1984.

"It was said that - and I rather suspect with that twinkle in her eye and her great sense of fun - that she had more than hinted at the possibility of going up the scaffolding to look more closely at the work. There was much relief all round when she finally decided against it."

The Queen Mother's life, he said, was a lesson to all.

"If our celebration this day of our own memories of her, the person she was and the qualities she exhibited, is to be more than sheer nostalgia, then hopefully we might seek to reflect in our own lives something of the graciousness, the generosity, the gentleness - the sheer delight in life and living, as well as a real care for and about each other."

*l The Northern Echo has been inundated with requests for the Royal Style books printed as a tribute to the life of the Queen Mother.

We received thousands of entries for Royal Style and so far we have sent out 2,500 copies of the commemorative book to our readers.

However, due to overwhelming demand for the book, we will be unable to send a copy to everyone who applied.

Any readers who have not received their copy by Friday, April 26, will have been unsuccessful in their application. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.