Cherry on the cake for King Charles III's visit to Bo'ness

For the King was introduced to local royalty during his first visit to the district since his Coronation – in the shape of 11-year-old Bo’ness Fair Day Queen Lexi Scotland and the oldest surviving Fair Day Queen May Garrow, a 99-year-old who was crowned Queen back in 1936. Both Lexi and May were delighted to be presented to the country’s monarch, if a little overwhelmed.

Lexi, who was crowned on Friday, said: “I was really nervous but excited too. He asked me if there were other candidates for the Queen’s role. It was a great way to celebrate the end of the Fair Day celebrations.”

May was equally charmed by the King, saying: “I loved it – it was awfy nice to get to meet him and he makes it easy for you to talk to him. I don't think I'll wash that hand again! We showed him a photo of me as Queen and he asked if I still had the dress. I do – it was white when I first bought it but it’s a dark cream now!”

Fair Day committee member Maria Ford accompanied the ladies and was also introduced to the King with her own royal title, Mrs Bo’ness! She said: “He laughed when I was introduced as that but he’s very knowledgable about everyone he meets. When we showed him the photo of May in her dress, he asked if it was the original crown. I explained that the original from 1897 was replaced in 1927 and then again in 1966, along with the sceptre. He was curious if we still had the originals – sadly, we don’t. He also knew that it had been Fair Day on Friday as he said to Lexi and I that he heard we’d had a very busy weekend. When I told him May would be celebrating her 100th birthday on February 24, he assured me that her card would be in the post!”

In addition to being a Friends of Kinneil member, Maria was also instrumental – in her role with Bo’ness Networking Group – in securing the town’s latest addition, a rickshaw named Marcus in which Lexi and May were seated to meet the King. Cycling Without Age supported the group in funding Marcus, with the group also obtaining additional funding for another rickshaw. This too was occupied, by Bo’ness couple Sam and Joan Jardine. The King asked if the couple, in their 90s, were still able to get out and about – Sam stated he was still driving so nipping to the shops was not an issue. However, the Jardines very much enjoyed their burly in the rickshaw and meeting the Monarch.

Christine Bell, the founder and CEO of the Falkirk-based charity Cycling Without Age, was delighted Marcus had his inaugural outing and launch on the day of the King’s visit and she too was presented to him.

“I last met King Charles at the official opening of the Scottish Parliament in 2021,” she said. “Of course, at that time he was Prince Charles so it was the first time of meeting the King. He was delighted to hear about the progress we’ve made in the time since.”

The King was particularly tickled to talk to the ‘pilots’ – the volunteers who cycle the rickshaws, albeit when he heard they were e-bikes, he joked: “That’s cheating!”

It was a busy visit for the King who was welcomed to Kinneil Estate by the Lord Lieutenant Alan Simpson and his wife Jan. Fittingly wearing a kilt for the occasion, the King was greeted by a welcoming party which included Falkirk Council’s depute provost David Balfour, leader Cecil Meiklejohn, chief executive Kenneth Lawrie, Falkirk East MP Martyn Day, MSP Michelle Thomson, assistant chief constable Tim Mairs and Bo’ness Community Council convener Madelene Hunt.

Ian Shearer, Friends of Kinneil chairman, was also on hand to explain outside James Watt Cottage its significance in the Kinneil story – Watt’s secret development work on the prototype steam engine took place there from 1765-73. Having met Lexi and her parents, Diane and Craig, and Fair Day chairman Frank McGarry, the King was then introduced to Friends of Kinneil vice chairwoman Jane Hogg, committee member Catherine Johnston and Historic Environment Scotland steward Frances Murray, who usually works at Linlithgow Palace.

Jane said: “We were explaining some of the history of the house and how it was saved from demolition. It was an honour to be invited to meet him.”

Catherine added: “It was an honour to meet the King; it was quite exciting to see him face to face. He said it was great that the estate had a group like the friends, raising funds and supporting it.”

Frances, who lives in Linlithgow but also does tours of Kinneil House on a Saturday, said: “He asked if I worked here full time but I explained that I’m usually based at the Palace, while doing tours here in the summer. I’ve done a lot of tours and open days over the years but it’s the first time I’ve been steward to a King!”

Ian then escorted the royal visitor into the house to view the wall paintings which were uncovered in 1926 when the House was mooted for demolition. It was these very early paintings, dating from the 1500s and unearthed under old wall panellings, which thankfully saved it from the wrecking ball when the National Gallery was tipped off.

For Ian, meeting the King was a fantastic opportunity to share the House’s history and promote the hard work of the Friends group. He said: “It was a great honour to welcome the King to Kinneil and the district, in one of his earliest duties in Scotland as our new Monarch. The House brings together so many of his passions – heritage, environmental work and community involvement, with a host of volunteers working here every week. Friends of Kinneil and the custodians, Historic Environment Scotland, work in collaboration with so many groups; it was fantastic to bring them all together and showcase that during the visit.”

After exiting the House, the King took the opportunity to meet members of Unison Kinneil Band who provided the backdrop music for his warm welcome to the town. He was then escorted to an area closer to the 200-strong crowd of locals, who had lined the route to the House for the chance to see the King up close and personal.

Before a meet and greet, though, King Charles was invited to plant an apple tree in the grounds to commemorate the centenary of the estate becoming a public park. Volunteers joked that his sister had already planted a tree some time ago...so they made sure this time to have the hole prepared for him. The site was chosen because it was close to a water source to help nurture it as it grows. However, it was also handy as the King, having planted the tree, lifted the spade in celebration in the air – to a large cheer from the assembled locals.

It was at this point that their patience finally paid off, albeit it initially looked like it would be a short walkabout. When the King saw the disappointment, however, he veered back to the line-up – to a great cheer from the delighted members of the public who got the chance to meet him.

A short walk then followed to the estate’s walled garden, where Scouts Scotland regional co-ordinator Paul Santi introduced local scout group leader James Arkley and some of his excited young charges; one wee boy captured the King’s eye and they had an extended chat about his many badges and what they were for!

The King was then introduced to representatives from Go! Youth Trust, partners of The Prince’s Trust, which has supported more than 200 young people in the Falkirk area into further education and employment – some of whom were introduced to the King.

He then met Falkirk and District Association for Mental Health volunteers, who work in the walled garden every week to help Sustainable Thinking Scotland (STS), a social enterprise based there since January 2017, to grow produce for four local foodbanks – Bo’ness Storehouse, Old Kirk Foodbank, Avonbridge Community Food and Rainbow Muslim Coalition Foodbank. Representatives from the foodbanks were introduced to the King in the final leg of the journey by STS co-founder Sean Kerr, whose fellow co-founder Steve McQueen offered the king a cherry as he toured one of the polytunnels.

Steve said: “He said they were the biggest cherries he’d ever seen – I’ll take that review from the King! I was able to explain that the tree was transported with the help of Forth Environment Link from Falkirk town centre. It wasn’t doing well when we first got it but it’s come on incredibly well.”

While the King didn't accept the cherry, he will be able to sample them later – as they were included in a gift bag presented to the Monarch by Sean. The King was also given a presentation box, containing a thistle and rose which had received the STS bio-char treatment, a method of carbon capture which can be used to improve soil health, crop yield, water quality, and produce green products. The King was incredibly interested in the process and will be able to try it for himself, as he also received some bio char to test on his own plants.

Sean said: “We've been based at Kinneil since January 2017; we now have seven members of staff and around 15 volunteers who regularly help us with our produce which we donate to the foodbanks. We work hand in hand with FDAMH, CVS, Forth Environment Link and The Consortium Volunteers to supply the foodbanks year round. It was fantastic to showcase this collaborative project, as well as the agricultural and environmental work that we're doing with bio char. The King has a keen interest in these subjects and it was nice to be able to show someone around who knew what veggies were what! He loved all the stuff that we’re growing and was keen to hear about bio char; he’ll be able to try it out for himself now too!”

Emerging reluctantly from the polytunnel, the King met representatives from the foodbanks and with that, the Monarch’s visit to Kinneil House and Estate drew to a close.

Embargoed until his arrival on Monday at 2.30pm, it was arguably the worst kept secret in Bo'ness history. However, the King’s visit will long be remembered and discussed by all those who got the chance to meet or see him, however briefly. Just three days after the town’s best day of the year, it was pretty well timed too!