RETRO: Search on to find Sheffield girl who met Queen

The Sheffield Arena has launched a campaign to find the young girl who presented flowers to Her Majesty The Queen at the venue's official opening in 1991.
Freckleton CE School celebrating Queen's 90th birthday
Daniel Threlfall aged 8 as William ShakespeareFreckleton CE School celebrating Queen's 90th birthday
Daniel Threlfall aged 8 as William Shakespeare
Freckleton CE School celebrating Queen's 90th birthday Daniel Threlfall aged 8 as William Shakespeare

The Arena, which is owned by SIV, is searching for the identity of the girl to mark its 25th birthday.

The venue opened its doors on 30 May 1991 and Her Majesty The Queen was invited to the official opening event, ahead of the first concert which took place that evening - Paul Simon’s Born at the Right Time tour.

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As part of the event, the Queen met members of staff and a lucky youngster was given the opportunity to give Her Majesty a bouquet and, 25 years on, SIV hopes to find the girl to celebrate her once in a lifetime opportunity.

Steve Brailey, chief executive at SIV, which manages the Sheffield Arena, said: “It was a real honour for the city of Sheffield to welcome Her Majesty the Queen to the official opening of the Arena in 1991.

“We are proud to now be celebrating 25 incredibly successful years of the Sheffield Arena and, as part of this, we would love to find the girl who presented the flowers to the Queen to help celebrate this milestone with us. Not many people are lucky enough to say they have met the Queen so it would be fantastic to hear more about her experience.”

Since 1991, the 13,000-seater Sheffield Arena has hosted some of the world’s biggest bands, top music artist, comedians and international events, from One Direction and David Bowie to Sports Personality of the Year and the International Indian Film Academy Awards.

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Over the last 25 years, the Arena has staged more than 3,000 local, regional, national and international events and welcomed over 16 million people through its doors, bringing more than £500 million to the city economy. The venue was refurbished in 2013 as part of a multi-million pound upgrade to facilities.

Along with the Sheffield Arena, SIV’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and Hillsborough Leisure Centre are also celebrating their 25th birthdays, having also opened in 1991.

The venues were built by Sheffield City Council for the World Student Games 1991 Summer Universiade – a sporting event dating back to 1924, which brought 3,000 athletes from more than 100 nations to Sheffield.

To get in touch with SIV call (0114) 223 3800 or email [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>.