Wolverhampton charity leader's thrill at attending coronation - and sitting next to Emma Thompson

Kim Hatton, from Bushbury-based children's charity Let Us Play, was invited to the historic event alongside her colleague Claire McKen.

After receiving the news by email and initially believing it to be a scam, Kim headed down to London with Claire for the momentous occasion.

"It was very special, but incredibly tiring," Kim admitted. "I'd booked a hotel four minutes away from Westminster Abbey on the other side of Westminster Bridge.

"But it took an hour and a half for us to get there, because they wouldn't let anyone cross Westminster Bridge, or any of the other bridges in central London.

"We had to walk all the way to Vauxhall and back to get there."

Once the pair were finally inside the Abbey, they could relax and soak up the majestic atmosphere.

However, neither of them anticipated that they would be sat next to acting royalty - Dame Emma Thompson.

"There were some really big stars there, I was sat next to Emma Thompson," Kim exclaimed. "She was really lovely and chatted and chatted away. She was excited as I was.

"She had a notebook and was writing down notable things that happened because she told me she didn't want to forget anything."

That wasn't Kim's only star encounter, as Westminster Abbey was awash with famous faces for the coronation, including the likes of Lionel Richie and Katy Perry.

"There were lots of celebs there. I don't watch much TV or many films because I lead such a hectic life, so I was looking at people recognising their faces but not knowing where I knew them from," Kim said.

"Andrew Lloyd Webber came past and said hello, we saw Lionel Richie too.

"Nobody was allowed to take a plus one no matter how big or famous you were, so it was amazing to see celebrities who normally have an entourage go everywhere with them fend for themselves.

"Katy Perry couldn't find her seat and looked totally lost. She didn't know where to go."

Ironically, while Kim and Claire had perfect views of the Royal Family and famous heads of state, there was one face the pair couldn't see so well.

"The only person we couldn't see was the King, because everybody stood up when he entered the Abbey," Kim laughed. "I'm not tall but Claire is only 4ft 11, so she couldn't see very much at all."

This did not take away from the majesty of the situation, as Kim added: "It was an amazing experience, a bit surreal and a real 'pinch me' moment.

"It had a really nice atmosphere and everybody was incredibly happy. The music was beautiful and there were some extraordinary singers performing, which was very special.

"Because a lot of the celebrities had been invited because of their charitable work, they were quite interested in us and why we'd been invited.

"That was really nice, for them to take an interest and for us to be able to talk about what we do."

Afterwards, Kim and Claire were approached by many people in the street who were eager to hear first-hand what the ceremony had been like - including an on-duty police officer.

"There were police officers stationed everywhere, just a few feet apart, it would have been a brilliant time to commit a crime in another part of the country!" Kim laughed.

While the charity leader noted that transport was impossible in the city centre and she witnessed "some very aggressive controlling of crowds" by police officers, she and Claire had a wonderful time at the ceremony which they will treasure forever.

She concluded: "It's back to ordinary life now."

Kim and Claire are leaders at Let Us Play, a charity which provides craft, leisure, and sports activities for children with special needs and disabilities.

For more information on the charity and the work they do, click here.