A proudly royalist Postmaster from Bude pulled out all the stops to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Bude Postmaster, Luke Francis BEM, organised a cream tea outside Bude Post Office on Wednesday, June 1, to mark the Queens Platinum Jubilee in style.

Ten years ago, Luke organised a cream tea for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Local shops put up bunting and helped serve a cream tea with Bude Metric Brass band playing. It was very well attended, and it is a day that the Bude community will never forget.

It was such a success that for many years Luke had been planning to organise another cream tea extravaganza to commemorate the Queen’s 70 years’ reign. It was a chance for a big get together to celebrate after everything that people have been through due to the pandemic.

Of course, the scones were served the Cornish way with jam then cream — the way that the Queen prefers her scones.

Luke is a keen royalist. He is well-known for popping patriotic posts on his Facebook page including when the Queen became our longest-reigning monarch.

Postmaster Luke Francis said: “The Queen is an incredible person. Bude is really looking forward to marking the Queen’s amazing achievement as 70 years as our Queen. This celebration will be unforgettable, and it will help to lift people’s spirits.”

Last summer, Luke received royal recognition with a British Empire Medal for services to Post Office and the communities.

Last week he attended Buckingham Palace for a Royal Garden party to thank him for all that he has done for his community.

Luke is dedicated to his community through his work and his community involvement in his spare time including lots of fundraising events including the Air Ambulance Service, Royal British Legion and the Kilkhampton Parish Trust.

Over the years Luke has made people happy on their special occasions by putting on his smart number 1’s Post Office uniform and delivering telegrams personally for diamond weddings and 100th birthdays.

The popular Postmaster is at the heart of the community where he has lived all his life. Straight from school he became a local postman at the age of 15. For the past 16 years he has been Postmaster for Bude. He is also responsible for Week St Mary, Whitstone, Marhamchurch and Bridgerule branches. He has now clocked up 27 years of service to Royal Mail and Post Office.