Historic coverage: Parliamentary VIPs protected from the damp

When Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II arrived for the State Opening of Parliament on May 9, she could put her mind at ease that the assembled VIPs waiting to gain entry for this historic occasion would be sheltered from the unseasonably wet weather under a custom entrance canopy manufactured by Custom Covers at its Southampton base.

The State Opening of Parliament marked the formal start of the 2012-2013 parliamentary session and brings together the constituent parts of Parliament: the Monarch, the Lords and the Commons, a symbolic reminder of Parliament’s unity.

To ensure that none of the dignitaries got wet while they waited to gain entrance to the ceremonies, Parliament erected a 43-by-2.5-meter entrance canopy with a custom guttering system. Custom Covers was tasked with designing, manufacturing and doing the first installation.

“We have installed covers at some sensitive sites,” says Simon Bell, Custom Covers’ technical director for this project. “But covering dignitaries and their guests on this historic occasion at the Mother of Parliaments was a first.”