12 July 2002: A Royal encounter with unusual pets during the second day of The Queen's Jubilee tour of Yorkshire The Queen came eye to eye with a lizard during a visit to an agricultural college on Friday, 12th July 2002. Bart, a Bosc Monitor lizard, was one of the inmates of the small animal centre at Bishop Burton Agricultural College near Beverley. Animals and agriculture were key themes of the day, celebrating the strong rural and farming traditions of Yorkshire. The Queen and Prince Philip began the day by attending a service for rural life in Beverley Minster. The last time The Queen had visited Beverley was 25 years ago, as part of her Silver Jubilee celebrations. The magnificent Beverley Minster has a long history. It is associated with Saint John of Beverley, bishop, teacher and healer, whose remains lie in the church's nave. Beverley became a place of sanctuary and pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. The Queen's ancestor, Henry V, came to the Minster to give thanks after the Battle of Agincourt. The service which The Queen and Prince Philip attended inside the ancient church had a rural theme in tribute to farmers across the East Riding of Yorkshire stricken in recent years by hard times and misfortunes such as foot-and-mouth disease. A congregation of 1,000 packed the Minster, including mayors and mayoresses from towns across the county, members of East Riding Council, and 100 members of the public, who applied for pairs of tickets on offer earlier in the year. The service also featured scores of local children. After the service there was a walkabout in the town's market square to meet some of the local people who had turned out in force, including the town's schoolchildren, before The Queen and Prince Philip departed for Bishop Burton Agricultural College. The college is located on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, in the village of Bishop Burton. It provides students with training across a diverse range of agricultural and rural disciplines, including animal rearing, business management, countryside management, engineering, equestrianism and horticulture. Around 1,200 full-time and 6,000 part-time students are enrolled on the college's courses. The Queen toured the college's equestrian centre, watching demonstrations of horse dressage and dog heeling by students. In the cattle handling area The Queen saw cattle-weighing technology and met students and staff affected by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001. In the small animal centre there were some unexpected clients, in the form of reptiles. The Queen watched staff and students demonstrate techniques for handling them. In the walled garden, The Queen met horticultural students and saw a special Golden Jubilee Garden. In the meantime The Duke of Edinburgh met Gold Award winners from The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, and saw displays of some of the award's activities. In the afternoon it was off to the races, when The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended a race meeting and a festival of rural life at Beverley racecourse. The Queen presented prizes to the winning trainer, owner and jockey of the first race, the Golden Jubilee race.  The Royal party also had time to explore the country fair. East Riding farmers had set out their stalls with an array of farm-fresh produce in a market organised by Driffield Farmers' Market. The fair also included a rural arts and crafts marquee. Entertainment was provided by 650 children from across the region, including a 100-strong choir, the East Yorkshire Wind Band and a local youth rock band. Back to July index