Newspaper Society lunch, London, 26 March 2002
Published
Your newspapers are an intrinsic part of the communities they serve, they give us a very special insight into what is going on around the country.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you, Mr. President, for your kind words of welcome and for inviting Prince Philip and myself to the Newspaper Society's Annual Lunch today. We are delighted to have this opportunity to meet so many publishers of Britain's regional and local newspapers and their guests in this my Golden Jubilee year.
As your display today illustrates so well, the regional press have been covering Royal events assiduously for these past fifty years. The pictures bring back many memories, and I look forward with great interest to seeing the Newspaper Society's collection of coverage of Royal Visits through the reign when it is published later this year.
On my visits to different parts of the United Kingdom since my Accession, it is the reporters and photographers from the regional press who turn out at all times and in all weathers to cover the story. For each visit has a purpose, whether it is to celebrate an important event or activity, to raise the profile of a specific cause or organisation, or to recognise achievement and success.
These are more often than not local rather than national stories and the regional media, in recording these occasions, help to put into context the invaluable public and voluntary work being done day in and day out around the country.
But of course it is not just Royal visits that regional newspapers cover. Because your newspapers are an intrinsic part of the communities they serve, they give us a very special insight into what is going on around the country.
With your hundreds of journalists who live and work in the towns and villages of Britain - and not just in London - the regional press is the medium which is well-placed to understand, and give such comprehensive coverage to, the day-to-day issues which affect people's lives most closely. That is probably why regional newspapers are particularly trusted and why your readership is growing.
This traditional role of serving the community has never been more important than it is today. It seems to me that people need a sense of community, a sense of belonging, now more than ever, and your newspapers help to meet that need.
The importance of local communities is something which I hope will be emphasised during the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Prince Philip and I are touched by the warm support being shown by people across the country for the Jubilee and the news of events and celebrations that are now being planned for the coming months - from pigeon-racing to a hot-air balloon grand prix, and from children's painting competitions to the many village fetes and street parties.
All these events will bring people together. We would like to think that a lasting legacy of this Jubilee for the future will be that communities across the country will have been strengthened and those who work for them, including your newspapers, will have been encouraged in their work.
My Golden Jubilee also gives us the opportunity to thank everyone who has given us such loyalty and encouragement since I came to the throne in 1952. I much look forward to visiting your regions and localities during this Jubilee year and in the future, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation to all of you who work in the regional media for your support.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe you are performing a vital community role and I wish you all continued success in the years to come.
Related content
State Banquet, Buckingham Palace, President of Poland, 5 May 2004
We both look forward with optimism as partners working closely together for a stronger more effective Europe.
Visit to Toulouse, State Visit, France, 7 April 2004
It is fitting that my visit to France should end with this impressive example of Franco-British and European co-operation.
Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting reception, Nigeria, 3 December 2003
Nigeria has much to be proud of.
State Banquet, President of the United States of America, 19 November 2003
We share the confidence - and the courage - to try and make this a more prosperous, a safer, and above all a freer world.
National Assembly for Wales, 5 June 2003
It is vital to the health both of the United Kingdom and of Wales that our democratic institutions flourish and adapt.
Scottish Parliament meeting on the Mound in Edinburgh, 3 June 2003
We see in this new Parliament, even after four short years, clear signs of a legislature that is distinctly Scottish.
Ottawa, Canada, 13 October 2002
Wherever the future may take us, my admiration and affection for Canada and Canadians everywhere is - and will always remain - clear, strong and sure.
Ceremony for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, 10 October 2002
I am happy to be in Hamilton today in order to present new Colours and to visit my Canadian Argylls.
Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver, Canada, 7 October 2002
Je chéris ma place dans la vie du Canada et mon lien avec tous les Canadiens et Canadiennes.
Legislative Assembly in Nunavut, Canada, 4 October 2002
I am proud to be the first member of the Canadian Royal Family to be greeted in Canada's newest territory.
National Space Centre in Leicester, 1 August 2002
Over this Jubilee summer I have travelled widely, but I hope I will be forgiven for having limited my tour to the earth's surface.
Opening ceremony of the 17th Commonwealth Games, Manchester, 25 July 2002
It is my pleasure in this my Golden Jubilee Year to declare the 17th Commonwealth Games open.
Golden Jubilee visit to Liverpool, 25 July 2002
I am glad to be in Merseyside, which must be one of the most distinctive and energetic parts of the United Kingdom.
Opening of the new City Hall building in London, 23 July 2002
Your new building, which is so clearly based on ideas of openness and accessibility, will provide an exciting forum for Londoners as your debates ebb and flow.
Visit to Bury St. Edmund's, Suffolk, 17 July 2002
Ipswich, Norwich, and Cambridge have all become centres of excellence in their different ways.
Harewood House in Yorkshire, 11 July 2002
The character of Yorkshire's people is distinctive and unchanging: trenchant, determined, and welcoming.
Millennium Point, Birmingham, 2 July 2002
I have no doubt that you will use this building to inspire the next generation who will shape the technology and industry of tomorrow.
Tri-Service gathering of the Armed Forces at Portsmouth, 27 June 2002
Britain is grateful to you, whether here in Portsmouth, in bases across the United Kingdom, or across the world.
Lunch in Newport, South Wales, 13 June 2002
The mountains and valleys are as beautiful as ever, but it is in rural life that some of the greatest transformation has taken place.
End of The Queen's UK Golden Jubilee tour, Preston, 5 August 2002
I have been profoundly moved by the affection shown and by the warmth of the response to my Golden Jubilee.
A speech by The Queen on her Golden Jubilee
I hope that these celebrations will remind us of our shared heritage and what it means to be a united people, enjoying the support of families, friends and neighbours around...
Visit to Stormont, Northern Ireland, 14 May 2002
This Assembly can demonstrate that it is possible to build trust, and in doing so continue the building of a new Northern Ireland.
Reply to the Loyal Addresses by both Houses of Parliament, 30 April 2002
I would like to pay tribute to the work you do in this, the Mother of Parliaments.
Royal Warrant Holders' Association Golden Jubilee lunch, London, 20 March 2002
The Royal Warrant of Appointment is an ancient and honourable institution. It symbolises excellence.
Adelaide Festival Hall, Australia, 27 February 2002
Whatever may lie ahead, I declare again here tonight that my admiration, affection and regard for the people of Australia will remain, as it has been over these past fifty...
State dinner in Wellington, New Zealand, 25 February 2002
It is both a privilege and a pleasure to have served as Queen of New Zealand for these fifty years.
Golden Jubilee gathering of Privileged Bodies, 21 March 2002
Privileged Bodies are held in great respect, not just in this country but throughout the world.
Official Golden Jubilee photographs: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
A speech by The Queen to Parliament on her Silver Jubilee
Perhaps this Jubilee is a time to remind ourselves of the benefits which union has conferred, at home and in our international dealings, on the inhabitants of all parts of...