A HARTFORD singer has spoken of her pride at being invited to Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s summer Garden Party.

Over the course of each year, the Queen welcomes more than 30,000 guests to spend the afternoon in the gardens of Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland.

The parties allow the Queen to speak to people from all walks of life, all of whom have made a positive impact in their community.

Nicola Howbrigg, musical director for Hartford-based voice choir, Bostock Singers, was invited to the Queen’s Garden Party on May 23.

She had been nominated in recognition of her work engaging communities and young people in music and singing.

Nicola said: “The whole day was magical. From the beautiful gardens to the cucumber and mint sandwiches, nothing was out of place.”

The party officially begins when the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family enter the garden at 4pm, when the National Anthem is played by a military band.

Nicola said: “The moment that the Royal party came out of the Palace, I felt so proud to be British. It was a complete honour to be attending such a prestigious event.”

Bostock Singers are based at Hartford Methodist Church and perform concerts around the borough.

The 50-strong choir performed their last concert of the season on Tuesday, July 11, in St John’s Church in Winsford.

The audience enjoyed a varied programme and a number of popular songs from soloist, Tim Houlbrooke.

Donations collected on the night of £500 will be donated to by Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of choir member, Ann Cannon, who recently died.