Today would have been the third Garden Party of the season at Buckingham Palace.

The first Garden Parties were held during the reign of Queen Victoria. Did you know that they used to be called ‘breakfasts’, even though they were held in the afternoon?

The Queen has been attending Garden Parties for many years.

This photograph shows The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, then Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Mountbatten, with other Members of the Royal Family at a Garden Party soon after their engagement was announced in 1947.

Every year, guests are invited to Garden Parties to recognise the work they do in their communities.

We’re hearing from more guests today who will be joining us in 2021.

Elspeth Martin was awarded a British Empire Medal for charitable services to the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

In her 27 years volunteering for @MAA_Charity, she has raised £30,000 selling Christmas cards, running tombolas and arranging donations to the charity’s shops.

The @MAA_Charity rapid response emergency service tends to over 3,500 people each year, and the operational and clinical teams are still working to save lives every day, despite the pandemic.

Kerry Banks has been fundraising for @BreastCancerNow since 2006 to support her friend Julie, who sadly passed away from the disease in 2010.

By trekking across the Sahara Desert, Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China and more, she has raised over £215,000 for the charity.

Kerry is also an Ambassador for the ‘Touch, Look, Check’ campaign, raising awareness of the symptoms of breast cancer so cases that might have gone undetected can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

After suffering a major stroke himself, Nick Cann has helped to raise £120,000 for stroke charities, including @TheStrokeAssoc.

He also founded The Phoenix Project, which supports people like Nick with aphasia and other stroke-related disabilities throughout their recovery.

Nick is also a member and Treasurer of the Strike a Chord Choir, a singing group for stroke survivors, friends and family. The group is still practicing via Zoom https://twitter.com/strokewales/status/1251153221512359937