Big city events go ahead in Portsmouth with Sausage and Cider Festival and University of Portsmouth anniversary celebration

The city’s annual Sausage and Cider Festival was at the Guildhall on Saturday, while the University of Portsmouth welcomed hundreds of former students to Ravelin Park to mark its 30th anniversary operating as a university.

Some spirits were dampened following the loss of the nation’s longest reigning monarch on Thursday, with heartfelt tributes paid to the Queen to respect the proceedings before celebrations commenced.

Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth, Karen Blackett, held a speech for alumni and former lecturers before students had the opportunity to reconnect with their former lecturers and the city.

But there was a poignant moment to reflect as guests observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of the Queen.

‘What we’ve seen in the last few days is that community spirit and people coming together,’ Karen explained.

‘It’s really poignant that we’re together. We held a minute’s silence and it is about celebrating her 70 years of reign coinciding with the 30 years of the university.

‘It is a celebration of her as well as the university. We’ve got a number of alumni here who have come to meet people from their course to celebrate and we’ve got a number of lecturers here as well which is fantastic.’

Former University of Portsmouth marketing student, Daniel Prembeh, flew the 4,000-mile trip from Ghana to meet his fellow alumni and university lecturers for the event.

The marketing manager said: ‘As an alumni 30 years is a milestone and we can’t sit back so I decided to come and reconnect with everyone together.

‘I was a bit sceptical about whether I was going to come or not after hearing about the Queen but we had a final email from the university to say they would proceed with the event so I decided to come.’

Manisha Singh, who graduated in 2020, came to the anniversary event to celebrate the university she ‘enjoyed living and working around’.

She said: ‘It’s also celebrating the biggest consort in our life which is the Queen. She’s was our longest living and serving monarch and a role model for us all. Without her decisions a lot of the surroundings of the university wouldn’t be here.’

At the Guildhall, revellers flocked from far and wide to enjoy live music and a wide variety of ciders and sausages in different flavours for the festival’s third year.

Visitors observed a two-minute silence before the national anthem played to mark the death of the Queen.

One of the event organisers, Ashley Ramian, said the event was planned to be as mindful as possible.

He said: ‘The Guildhall gave us the go ahead. We’ve got a Book of Condolence in the cafe area so we’ve been mindful of that.

‘The music’s not as loud as it usually would be. We separated the entrances so anyone coming for the event will go the total opposite way just to be respectful.’

Alex Brown, who came down from Waterlooville, shared a view of many other revellers that they should be able to ‘carry on’.

He said: ‘We should absolutely be respectful for it. But the monarchy isn’t the same as it used to be. We should be able to carry on with our lives.

‘I think the day of the funeral, they should cancel events but leading up to that it’s just about acknowledging it.’

‘

‘