THE Queen may only have visited Wiltshire town Devizes once but that glorious day lives in the memory of all who were there.

Her Majesty was invited to reopen the Kennet and Avon Canal after a mighty effort by volunteers from the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and, subsequently, British Waterways to save it from dereliction.

But, to satisfy municipal feelings, she also graciously agreed to perform the official opening ceremony for Devizes Leisure Centre, which had actually been in use for few weeks before her visit.

The weather on August 8, 1990 could not have been better. The sun shone from a cloudless sky and hundreds of people turned out to cheer her at all three venues she visited.

An hour before her visit there was a scare when a plastic bag with the word “timer” on it was found protruding from a hole in a lampost near the town hall. It turned out to be a false alarm, but it all added to the excitement of the day.

Her Majesty began at the leisure centre, where she was greeted by, among others, Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Sir Maurice Gibbs, chairman of Kennet District Council Geoffrey Taylor and town mayor John Coombs.

She was introduced to staff at the centre and unveiled the plaque to officially open the centre. She received a posy from 11-year-old Sarah Crook, daughter of Ron Crook, director of technical services at the district council.

Then it was on to Devizes Wharf, headquarters of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, where Her Majesty met volunteers who were responsible for challenging the government’s plans to close the canal and then restore it to a navigable state.

The third venue of the day was Caen Hill flight of locks where Her Majesty boarded the narrow boat Rose of Hungerford which, after exiting the Queen Elizabeth II Lock, cut the ribbon to reopen the canal.

A flight of RAF Hercules aircraft flew past overhead at the same moment.

Admiral Sir William O’Brien, chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, thanked the Queen for “bringing our Sleeping Beauty back to life”.

Among the celebrities invited to the reception at Caen Hill were actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales, both of them keen boaters.