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At long last the waiting is over!

Having lobbied for such a visit for a number of years, I was delighted to learn that Her Majesty had finally given my home town and cathedral the special honour of hosting the Royal Maundy Service on 9 April.

This is indeed a 'once-in-a-reign' opportunity for the people of Suffolk to share in this unique piece of pageantry. The service used to take place at Westminster Abbey in London each year, but nowadays, for nine years out of each decade, the Queen gives a different cathedral the chance to stage the event.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral was one of ten across the country that had never hosted the occasion.

A small lottery win

What a privilege it will be for 83 men and 83 women pensioners from across the county to receive the specially-minted coins personally from the Queen – in recognition for service to their community and the church (that's one man and one woman for each year of the Queen's life).

I shall look forward to witnessing the colourful ceremony which will feature representatives of the Queen's Yeomen of the Guard in their red and gold Tudor uniforms carrying the special red and white purses on the six gold and silver dishes (some dating back to the time of Charles II).

The white purse contains the Maundy money - silver pennies, twopences, threepences and fourpences to the value of 83 pence. The red purse contains a Β£5 coin celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII and a 50 pence coin celebrating the founding of Kew Gardens. The money in the red purse was originally intended to help recipients buy clothing and provisions.

Maundy service, Carlisle, 1978

The word 'Maundy' comes from the Latin 'mandatum' - the Biblical command to love one another which Christ made at the Last Supper. The tradition of the Sovereign giving money to poorer people dates back to the 13th Century.

The Monarch would also give food and clothing and even washed the recipients' feet in another reenactment of Jesus' life.

The boys and gentlemen of the Chapel Royal choir together with our splendid home choir and the clergy in their splendid robes will also contribute to this unique occasion.

I thought the Bury visit might have come in 2014 (to celebrate the centenary of the diocese) but I am well pleased that it will take place this spring.

The royal seats

When the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh take part in the service, they'll be sitting in two specially-made chairs in the high altar area.

Lieutenant's chairs

Rendham-based firm Finewood offered to make them because they'd previously provided 'Mendlesham' chairs for the Queen's 2002 Jubilee visit to Suffolk. However, the cathedral said they wouldn't look quite right, but could they make some in a more contemporary, ecclesiastical style?

The result is two oak seats which known as 'Lieutenant's Chairs' because they can be used by the Lord Lieutenant in the future (the Lord Lieutenant is the monarch's representative in the county).

They've been made by Andrew Smith at Finewood and have a symbol denoting 2009 featuring ears of barley and leaves on the backrest.

Suffolk's Royal correspondent

My interest in the Royal Family grew out of a meeting with the Queen Mother in 1982 and I kept in touch with her during the last twenty years of her life. During my years working in Croydon I was able to take in all the major Royal events in London (usually as a member of the crowd, but I did attend the Queen's 80th birthday service in St Paul's Cathedral).

John Ottley

As 'Royal watcher' for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Suffolk, I have reported on all royal stories (both nationally and locally) over the past twenty years, and I take it as an honour to be the eyes and ears of our listeners who cannot be 'on the spot'.

One of my favourite memories was when someone came into reception at Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Suffolk on St Matthew's Street and thanked me for 'taking them' to the Queen Mother's funeral at Westminster Abbey in 2002.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Suffolk will be 'taking' more people to Bury St Edmunds at Easter. Tune in on Thursday for news on the day and listen again after the event using the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iPlayer which you can find by clicking on Radio Suffolk link on the left.

Use the links on the right to visit the Royal Family website's Events & Ceremonies section for more details about the Maundy Service.