A permanent memorial to Her Majesty the Queen is being considered in Northumberland.
The Queen visited the county a number of times during her 70-year reign. She opened Kielder Water in 1982 alongside her husband Prince Philip, while the Royal couple also opened Alnwick Youth Hostel in 2011. They then visited Alnwick Castle and Alnwick Garden for a special party alongside 8,000 guests and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer.
Northumberland County Council was quick to open up condolence books following the Queen's death on Thursday, with residents able to sign them at libraries and leisure centres in Alnwick, Ashington, Bedlington, Berwick, Blyth, Hexham and Ponteland. Tributes flooded in from across prominent figures across Northumberland too, with messages of condolence coming from Councillor Scott Dickinson, leader of Northumberland Labour; Ian Levy, MP for Blyth Valley; Guy Opperman, MP for Hexham; and Anne Marie Trevelyan, Berwick MP.
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Councillor Glen Sanderson, Leader of Northumberland County Council, also gave a tribute on Thursday, and said of the proposals for a permanent memorial: "As we mourn the loss of Her Majesty the Queen, it gives us time to reflect on and remember how inspirational she has been during her years of reign. We have already seen many of our residents sign books of condolence and lay flowers.
"Having guided our country through many challenges and many celebrations across her 70 years it only seems fitting for us to be able to forever remember her in the county she often visited, our county, Northumberland. For that reason, we would like to create a permanent memorial in memory of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, here in Northumberland.
"In the coming weeks we will engage with our residents to ensure this memorial is a place for all; a place where our residents and visitors can go to remember our great monarch."
Proposals to build a 55m tall monument in rural Northumberland dedicated to Queen Elizabeth were approved last November, despite being rejected by Northumberland County Council's planning committee. The plans were extremely unpopular with residents, with local councillors saying the 180-foot-tall statue planned for Cold Law Hill near Kirkwhelpington was "totally inappropriate" and "looked "ridiculous".
If you would still like to sign a book of condolence in Northumberland, you can find out more information here.
What would you like to see as a permanent memorial to Queen Elizabeth and where? Let us know!
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