Awards Ceremony at Rochester Cathedral

The day finally came for all us newly qualified Blue Badge Guides to receive our Badges from the Institute of Tourist Guiding last Thursday. The ceremony took place in the beautiful Cathedral of Rochester, where we had one of our practical exams.

Rochester Cathedral

The Cathedral's Evensong was dedicated to us and it was such a privilege to be sat in the Quire in the 900 year old building listening to the soaring voices of the Cathedral Choir.

After Evensong we remained in the Quire area and our badges and certificates were handed out to us by Her Grace, the Duchess of Norfolk, the Patron of SEETGA (South East England Tourist Guides Association).

It was great to see everyone who had worked so hard with me, together again, plus our tutors, representatives from the Guild and Institute; plus all those who helped us during the course including Canterbury Museum, and Visit Kent, with their Chairwoman, Amanda Cottrell OBE.

A surprise of the evening was after our Badges were given out, there were also prizes awarded for the course and exams. Totally unexpectedly I obtained the award for best Cathedral Guide and was presented with a beautiful framed photo montage of the North front of the Cathedral by the Dean of the Cathedral, Adrian Newman.

After the Badges and awards were handed out we were all treated to drinks and nibbles in the South Quire Transept. Some of my fellow guides, including myself, were also privileged enough to be allowed behind the scenes to take a look at the Cathedral Library, which they are hoping to revamp over the coming year. What a fantastic end to what was a wonderful evening!

Congratulations to all my fellow new Blue Badge Guides! We did it!!