Diamond Day hailed a 'sparkling success.' (From Hereford Times)

Herefordshire's Diamond Day hailed a 'sparkling success.'

9:58am Monday 16th July 2012 in News By Lydia Johnson

THE LORD-LIEUTENANT of Herefordshire has paid tribute to the tens of thousands of people who turned out to welcome the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Hereford.

It is believed an estimated 25,000 people turned out to see the couple visit Hereford last Wednesday (July 11) as part of their diamond jubilee tour of the UK.

Park and ride buses only had standing room and crowds 12 deep greeted The Queen when she arrived on the King George V playing fields for Herefordshire Diamond Day.

Lady Darnley, the Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire, said: “It was a most amazing day - the sun shone and crowds of well-wishers gave The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh a rousing Herefordshire welcome. They loved the parade and pageant we presented and thoroughly enjoyed meeting people from all corners of Herefordshire and from all walks of life in the marquees representing communities across Herefordshire.

"It was a lovely day which brought people together to celebrate something we all share – a love for The Queen and a love for our beautiful county.

"The displays in the marquees were a celebration of Herefordshire’s rich diversity and the entertainment reflected skills and talents of all ages and styles.

“Of course, an event on this scale couldn’t happen without a team of workers and I’d like to publicly thank all those who have given time and effort to make the day the success it has been, and I particularly want to thank all those businesses, both large and small, which have contributed financially to the event which meant the costs of Herefordshire Diamond Day were covered entirely by their sponsorship.

"It has been a truly amazing day which will stay in the minds of local people for many years to come, and the warmth of which touched the hearts of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.

"It was a real community effort and I’d like to thank everyone who took part for making it such a sparkling success.”