Queen’s chimney sweep reveals how ‘incredibly knowledgeable’ monarch always spoke to people who worked for her about their jobs and made them feel ‘very important’

By Chris Matthews For Mailonline

Published: 08:05 GMT, 19 September 2022 | updated: 10:00 GMT, 19 September 2022

The Queen’s chimney sweeps have revealed how the monarch would make them feel ‘important’ when they worked in her homes including Buckingham Palace.

Kevin Giddings, 61, and his team from Milborrow Chimney Sweeps have looked after the chimneys and fires at royal homes including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, St James’ Palace and Kensington Palace since 2002.

Speaking to The Argus, his wife Katie recalled how the ‘knowledgeable’ late monarch spoke to her husband about his work and made everyone around her ‘feel important’.

Kevin Giddings (pictured) has looked after chimneys at royal homes including Buckingham Palace for more than 20 years

Mr Giddings was given a royal warrant in 2002 by Her Majesty The Queen, who passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland aged 96, on September 8

The chimney sweep was presented to the Queen six times and also met the then-Prince Charles and the late Duke of Edinburgh.

He also bumped into Her Majesty when he was cleaning her palaces and his wife Katie revealed the Queen made him feel important through a series of small gestures.

‘On one occasion there was a function, we were at Buckingham Palace and the Queen indicated to my husband and said, “It’s my chimney sweep”,’ she told The Argus.

‘She was an incredibly knowledgeable lady who even spoke to the chimney sweep about his work and made him feel very important.’

The Giddings family thinks King Charles III will be an excellent monarch and wished him all the best. Pictured: Charles III in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace today

She added that her husband was ‘honoured and thrilled’ that the late monarch recognized him.

Buckingham Palace has around 300 chimneys and although they are not all used, cleaning is needed to ensure proper ventilation.

Hampton Court Palace’s kitchen chimney is one of the toughest to sweep because of its sheer size, which means sweeps have to climb up the inside the shaft.

The chimney at the former residence of Henry VIII is often exceptionally sooty, and is 48 feet high and more than 20 across.

In 2002, the business was given a royal warrant by the Queen. Whether or not Mr Giddings and his team retain the warrant will be up to King Charles III.

Katie added the family thinks King Charles III will be an excellent monarch and wished him all the best for his reign.

Share or comment on this article:

The post Queen’s chimney sweeps reveal how monarch all the time made them really feel ‘crucial’  appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

MOUNTAIN VIEW (BCN) – Mountain View is using a grant from Google to create a new habitat for monarch butterflies in the city’s Shoreline Park.

The $ 30,000 grant will help the city develop and maintain three “pollinator” habitats on nearly two acres in the city’s popular wildlife and recreation area, city officials said Monday.

CONTINUE READING: COVID: Health officials find more restaurants in CoCo County that don’t check vaccination cards

“We have identified locations that would be good for establishing pollinator habitats in Shoreline,” said Brenda Sylvia, assistant director of Mountain View Community Services.

The areas will be planted with milkweed, which supports monarch larvae, as well as other native plants such as buckwheat, sage, sunflowers, asters and goldenrod that the adult butterflies enjoy, Sylvia said.

“I grew up in Santa Cruz and we used to go out to the redwoods in school to see the monarchs and they are ahead of the pack and things like that, so I’m really excited about this project,” said Sylvia.

Phase one begins on half an acre within 9 acres of North East Meadowland, followed by 2.7 acres near Pond 1 at Shoreline Golf Links and 4.5 acres in the Close to Pond 2 on the golf course.

According to the city, both habitats are to be completed in 2022.

CONTINUE READING: Anti-Police Terror Project: Oakland PD has a management problem, not a staffing problem

The pollinator habitats are also home to a rabbit owl population, and the butterflies will be a welcome source of food for the owls and other small birds and insects in the park.

The project will provide areas to breed, migrate and hibernate for butterflies, whose populations have declined due to habitat loss, Sylvia said.

In addition to creating the new butterfly rooms, the city has also been certified as a habitat for monarch butterflies by the National Wildlife Federation.

The Google grant will also help the city reach the community and get volunteers to help.

For more information, please visit the city’s website at http://www.mountainview.gov.

MORE NEWS: COVID: Chase Center Updates Admissions Policy for Vaccinated 5-11 Year Olds

© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The post Mountain View Makes use of Google Grant To Create Monarch Butterfly Habitat – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.