THE lack of a proper pole from which to fly a Union flag at half mast after the Queen died has prompted a call for one to be installed at the village hall as a memorial to her.

But because of the economic crisis the parish council is considering crowdfunding to pay for it.

Chairman Mark Bobby said at the October 26 meeting: “This is something that was highlighted during the period of mourning when the flagpole outside the village hall was slightly disappointing.”

Cllr John Smithson explained the pole was actually a rusty water pipe about 8ft tall that had to be extended with a broomstick and when the flag was flown at half mast it caused problems for people walking on the path outside the hall.

But it had led to the idea that a  new flagpole could be put up.

“Given Her Majesty’s reign of 70 years it would be nice to have a memorial.”

Inquiries had been made and the cost for the flagpole itself would be about £150 while installation would be £500.

“Given the current cost of living crisis it’s felt we can’t justify spending £700 at the moment,” he said.

But if something was going to be done to commemorate the Queen it was something it needed to be done quickly. “So we wondered about a pledge scheme to give people the chance to contribute towards it.”

He stressed people wouldn’t be asked to pay money up front, just to pledge an amount so if it went ahead the funding would be there.

A member of the public asked whether the installation could be done by people in the village because it would be cheaper than £500. But Cllr Smithson said the suppliers who gave the quote were specialists and there was the question of insurance if something went wrong with the pole.

The council has agreed to explore the idea further.

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