Gainsborough farmer travelled to London to view Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II lying in state

Charles Anyan, 41, who runs a farm in Springthorpe, near Gainsborough, decided in a ‘spur of the moment’ decision to travel down to London on Friday, September 16.

He said: “I had to queue 13 hours, starting at Southwark Park.

“It was fantastic to be a part of the most significant historical moment perhaps in my whole lifetime.

"I wanted to go and say thank you to the Queen for her exemplary years of service and also represent my family.

"I knew it was going to be a significant moment and I wanted to be a small part of it.

"It was a spur of the moment decision to go down on Friday.

"The queue was fun and, at times, fast moving, apart from a couple of hours in the middle of the night when we think they were cleaning Westminster Hall.

"And plenty of new friends were made in the queue.”

Charles spent the night in the queue and said it was fabulous to see Tower Bridge, St Paul’s, London Eye and Palace of Westminster at night before getting into Westminster Hall at 7.20am.

He said: “It was a really powerful moment seeing the Queen’s coffin.

"It made me feel humbled to be in the company of someone as great as the Queen.

"It was a very surreal moment and slightly emotional. I was struck by the amazing colour of the Royal Standard.

"It was well worth the trip and the 13 hour wait.

“Afterwards I went to Green Park to see all the flowers. There were thousands of flowers and thousands of people.

“It was an amazing trip and memories which will stay with me forever.

"The Queen, in my opinion, is the greatest ever Briton and the finest global leader of all time.”

Although the district did not hold any ceremonies on the day of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, West Lindsey District Council’s vice chairman, Coun Roger Patterson, attended a public service at Lincoln Cathedral on Sunday, September 18, followed by a public service at All Saints’ Church, Gainsborough.