Last week (September 8), the Queen passed away at the age of 96, making her the longest reigning Monarch in British history. Many events were cancelled in the wake of this news, and more closures are now expected on the day of the state funeral, which is being marked by a bank holiday. Here’s some of the places closed on the day of the Queen’s funeral that you should know about.
1. Some hospital appointments
It has been widely reported that some people will miss out on their hospital appointments on the day of the Queen’s funeral. If you’re due to see healthcare professionals this day, and you haven’t heard anything yet, it’s worth checking in as to whether your appointment is still going ahead and find out if you are being asked to reschedule.
2. Some food banks
Again, this does not apply everywhere, but several food banks – including some across Manchester – could close on the day. If you or someone you know need to use a foodbank on Monday, you can use The Trussell Trust service which helps you find your nearest point.
Wimbledon Foodbank reversed its decision to close on Monday, writing: “Update: Due to the overwhelming support we have received we now have volunteers to run our Monday session as usual. As a reminder, we are not a government service and run solely on people’s donations of time, money and food.”
Southwark Foodbank will close on the day of the funeral, which is their policy on each bank holiday across the year.
3. Cinemas
Many UK cinemas plan to close their doors or screen the Queen’s funeral for free on Monday. Some chains including Odeon and Cineworld have announced they will close their doors as a mark of respect while VUE is currently offering up tickets to watch “In Memoriam: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Funeral” for no charge.
4. McDonald’s
McDonald’s have confirmed all their UK branches will close up until 5pm on Monday, September 19. Opening times are expected to vary after this point in branches across the country.
5. Galleries and museums
You won’t be able to go check out some art at some of Manchester’s galleries on the day of the funeral, either. Manchester Art Gallery has confirmed that it will be closed on September 19, as well as museums such as the Science and Industry Museum and National Football Museum confirming closures.
6. Some gyms and leisure centres
Again, this is not widespread, but some companies such as Better have decided to close their facilities on the day of the Queen’s Funeral, so checking in with your local gym before this day is advised. PureGym has also followed similarly by stating: “Our gyms will be closed between 10:00 and 14:00 on Monday 19th September so that our colleagues can pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Opening hours will return to normal from Tuesday 20th September.”
7-16. The UK’s supermarkets
Tesco has announced it will close all large stores on the day of the funeral, and will cancel home deliveries. Express stores will remain open but will operate via limited hours.
Sainsbury’s is also closing all of its supermarkets on the day of the funeral. Convenience stores and petrol station branches will be open between 5-10pm.
Asda are closing all stores until 5pm and are cancelling online shops for the day.
Morrisons will also close all stores on the day as a “mark of respect”, but will reopen their petrol stations from 5pm.
Marks & Spencer, Lidl, Co-op, Waitrose, Iceland and Aldi are all following suit with closures on the day.
17-22. Retailers
Argos, Homebase, IKEA, Primark, John Lewis, and Harrods are all among retailers due to see closures on the day of the funeral. It must be stressed that there is no requirement to close businesses on the day, but many are choosing to do so to show their respects. Checking online at the store you wish to go to on the day is advised ahead of Monday, September 19.
23. Greggs
There will be no mouth-watering vegan sausage rolls served by Greggs on the day of the funeral, at least in most places. The chain bakery confirmed that most stores would shut to allow staff to pay their respects.
24. National Trust houses and gardens
Houses, gardens and cafés will shut on the day of the funeral. Coast and countryside resorts, where people camp and use accommodation will remain open, however.
25. English Heritage sites
All English Heritage sites across the UK, such as Stonehenge, will be closed “as a mark of respect”.
26. Football?
Most games are going ahead this weekend after last week’s widespread cancellations. Some games at the weekend, however, have been called off – including Leeds vs Manchester United and Chelsea vs Liverpool have been postponed due to shortages of police officers needed for the matches. No league games are scheduled to be played on Monday, September 19, and the International break is planned to go ahead later in the week as normal.
27. Will pubs and venues stay open?
It looks like hospitality is set to stay open, with Pub chains such as Fullers announcing that all their sites would be open on the day of the funeral. Again, it’s worth checking beforehand if you plan to go to the pub, but widespread closures are not on the cards here.