In-person citizenship ceremonies return to Suffolk
They'd moved online due to the pandemic
After a break of almost three years - in-person ceremonies where people can become British citizens have returned to Suffolk.
They were put on hold during the pandemic... with applicants taking part in online ceremonies instead.
563 new citizens were welcomed in virtual ceremonies in 2022.
However they've now returned to registry Offices in Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds.
Jacqueline Maynard, ceremony manager for Ipswich Registration Service said: “It feels great being able to bring everybody together again, to celebrate this very significant event in their lives.
"Having their guests with them at the ceremony makes the occasion even more special for the new citizens. It is an honour to be a part of their journey.”
Colonel Anthony Fairbanks Weston, Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk, who welcomes the new citizens, adds: “It really is a privilege and delight to meet the new citizens, whose skills, heritage and histories make a valuable contribution to Suffolk’s diversity and success.”
The most recent ceremony took place on Monday 13th February.
For the thirty-four participants at the ceremony, this was the last step on their journey to British citizenship.
Judith, a secondary school teacher from Felixstowe, said “I came to Britain from Zimbabwe as a teen. It feels great to be a British citizen now and to be part of the British culture and share in British values”.