DOZENS of Felixstowe and Trimley schoolchildren are to be treated like Royalty on a glorious golden jubilee train trip – thanks to the Evening Star and Anglia Railways.

By Richard Cornwell

DOZENS of Felixstowe and Trimley schoolchildren are to be treated like Royalty on a glorious golden jubilee train trip – thanks to the Evening Star and Anglia Railways.

For the Star and Anglia have teamed up to provide a special train which will take 120 excited flag-waving youngsters to Ipswich to see the Queen.

The extra special trip will also include another magical moment with the chance to see a new train in a Union flag livery being named to commemorate Her Majesty's 50 years on the throne.

The monarch is to visit Suffolk on July 17 as part of her golden jubilee tour of the country.

Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, she will visit Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds on a five-hour trip.

Although Buckingham Palace has yet to release full details of the itinerary, it is understood the trip will start in Ipswich and include a tour of the regenerated waterfront, during which the Queen will officially open the Felaw Maltings business development.

One of the Queen's six key themes for her jubilee is youth and she very much wants young people to be a part of the celebrations.

Suffolk County Council is currently liaising with schools all over Suffolk in order to provide buses and coaches to bring thousands of children into Ipswich for the big day.

It will be a once in a lifetime experience and among the children will be a large contingent from Felixstowe and the Trimleys.

Junior and primary schools in the two towns have expressed an "enormous interest" in pupils taking part and are keen to have as many as possible there.

A county council spokeswoman was thrilled with the Anglia and Star train and said it was a most generous offer which will provide a big boost to the transport arrangements for the day.

"It is a very complicated exercise to bring all the children to Ipswich to be in the right place waving their flags at the right time, and the train will be a tremendous help with the transport," she said.

"We want to accommodate as many children as possible. It should be an exciting day which they will always remember."

The Evening Star-Anglia Railways train will leave Felixstowe at 9.10am on July 17, waved off on the platform by the mayor.

It is scheduled to arrive in Ipswich in time for a short ceremony to name a Class 86 locomotive Golden Jubilee, before the children move on to the places where they will stand to see the Royal visitors.