THE late Queen Elizabeth II was given 'a real Lancashire farewell' at Blackburn Cathedral on Sunday.

Just 24 hours before the State Funeral in Westminster Abbey the county's premier church was full to mark her passing.

Bishop of Burnley and acting Diocesan Bishop of Blackburn the Rt Rev Philip North spoke of her constancy through a period 70 years of change and her Christian faith.

After the service the Monarch's representative in the county Lord Shuttleworth, the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, said: "I am thinking today that we have said a real Lancashire farewell to Her Majesty The Queen.

"What a lovely beautiful service we have had. I think we well remember her superb features of steadfastness, loyalty, love of this country and the Commonwealth and the great service she has given us.

"It really was a splendid occasion and though we felt sad, it gave us hope for the future."

The Rt Rev North presided supported by Rt Rev. Dr Jill Duff, the Anglican Bishop of Lancaster and the Archdeacons of Blackburn and Lancaster, the Venerable Mark Ireland and the Ven David Picken.

Among the congregation were Lord Shuttleworth and Lady Shuttleworth, the High Sheriff of Lancashire, Martin Ainscough, The Mayor and Mayoress of Blackburn with Darwen Councillor Suleman Khonat JP and Mrs Sumaiya Khonat and the Rt Rev Paul Swarbrick, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Lancaster.

The Rt Rev North said: “Again and again in Her Late Majesty’s Christmas messages and public statements she referred to a deep, undemonstrative but life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Her life was firmly and solidly built on Him.

"So, though she may have felt the effects of the winds and the storms, she was not destroyed by them. Though the floodwaters may have come and gone, she remained steadfast and undaunted.

“The second Elizabethan era has been a period of breathtakingly accelerated change. Much of that change has been exciting, much has improved the quality of our lives. But some of it has alienated people, leaving them feeling insecure, fearful and cut adrift in a bewildering world.

“But through it all one thing has stayed constant. A woman called Elizabeth sitting on the throne. If I had to choose one single word to describe the reign of this remarkable woman it would be stability.”

Introducing the service the Dean of Blackburn Very Rev. Peter Howell-Jones said: “We have gathered together today in gratitude for the life of our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second.

“For her grace, humanity and sympathy, for her courage in adversity, for the happiness she brought to so many, for her steadfast pilgrimage of faith, for her example of service, and for the duty which she rendered unflinchingly to her country."