HENRY’S TRIBUTE TO THE DUKE

A Tribute In Song for THE DUKE

Rutland writer and performer, Henry Dawe, has produced a charity fundraising song in tribute to HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ‘Two Paces Back’ was originally intended to mark the 100th birthday of the Duke on 10th June, but has been adapted to become a celebration of the life of an extraordinary man following the announcement of his death last month...

Words: Rob Davis.

LOYAL, DUTIFUL AND SELFLESS. Those are some of the qualities which one local man has praised in a music video paying tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh.

Henry Dawe, of Uppingham, sat down one year ago to write a set of lyrics for a song to mark His Royal Highness’s 100th birthday.

Having secured a licence for images and footage for his music video, Henry was making preparations for the release of the song in late May when the sad news of The Duke of Edinburgh’s death broke on 9th April.

He therefore revised the lyrics to be a celebration of life, rather than a birthday song. Entitled ‘Two Paces Back’, the song was always intended to reflect the unwavering support which The Queen had received from her husband for so long.

“This has been a very fulfilling project, and I have been lucky to work on it with some wonderful collaborators,” says Henry.

Born in Nottingham, Henry grew up in Uppingham and attended Stamford School. “It was a superb school in all respects, not least in its provision for drama and music.”

“I performed in The Comedy of Errors at the age of 13, which then encouraged me to take on larger roles with Uppingham Theatre Company, such as playing the Winslow boy in Terence Rattigan’s famous play in 1998.” Upon leaving school in 2001, Henry read French and German at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, as part of a four-year long course. It was during his time there that, at the 2005 Honorary Degrees Ceremony, Henry served as Page to The Duke of Edinburgh, Chancellor of the University between 1976 and 2011, meeting the man about whom he would later write a tribute. Henry’s studies afforded him the opportunity to teach in an adult education centre in France as part of his degree. After graduating he headed to Germany, working first for a translation firm in Cologne and then at a school in Bonn, Stamford’s partner school. >>

Upon returning to England, he pursued a Postgraduate Certificate in Education with a view to teaching, but in the end decided against pursuing it as a career. Having already worked at the summer opening of Buckingham Palace between his return from Germany and his teaching course, Henry went back to the Royal Household and took on a full-time role with the Royal Collection, working first for the summer opening again and later as an Administrator based at St James’s Palace. He had no dealings with the members of the Royal Family but, through working within the Royal Household, was nonetheless able to see how strongly committed they were to their duties. “In 1997 The Queen said of her husband in her Golden Wedding Anniversary speech that, ‘He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.’” “Those have always been seen as profound words and, of course, so true. Following the death of this remarkable man, many people have said to me that they had no idea just how great a difference he made in so many fields over the course of his long, full and varied life.” “When I began to research the institutions to which His Royal A Tribute to Highness was connected, I discovered that there were The Duke

Henry’s tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh can be found on his website, www.henrydawe.co.uk, with a link to JustGiving where donations can be made to The Silver Line charity.

Two Paces Back:

A Posthumous Tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh...

A man we’re called to celebrate As we look back with pride The anchor to our Head of State The constant by her side

When in Dartmouth they both met And Cupid launched his darts There that day the stage was set For love to touch their hearts

And since they wed, forever he was seen Two paces back A shoulder for our gracious Queen When she was blue, when things looked black

[Chorus] Two paces back, he spent a lifetime in the shade Two paces back, that was the part he always played Two paces back, that’s where so dutifully he stayed Happy to be two paces back

As consort to his sovereign wife He waved his own career goodbye To share the path they trod through life Both on the ground and in the sky

How lucky that her noble prince Had such a sense of humour And he had no one to convince It wasn’t just a rumour

Many jokes intended, yes Many, though, a fluke Some did get him in a mess But that’s of course what made the Duke

Those paces slowed some years past now With often fear of falling Yet undiminished was his vow To keep true to his calling

In 1953 on that great day, The Coronation, He had some special words to say And so proclaimed his station

To The Queen he pledged to be ‘Your liege man of life and limb’ So his passing shows us surely All that she has owed to him

Oh, now is the time to give our thanks for all the years And as we drink to dear Prince Philip we’ll say, ‘Cheers!’ He leaves a legacy of golden souvenirs And walks eternally two paces back

“I am so grateful to the collaborators who have helped me to create the music video, and now I want to ensure that as much good comes from it as possible, raising money for The Silver Line and celebrating the life of the longest-serving consort in the history of the British Monarchy...”

nearly 1,000 of them, including The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, of course, and the World Wide Fund for Nature, of which he was President for fifteen years.”

Upon his return to Rutland after working at the Royal Household, Henry took a job in the Culture & Leisure department of the local authority, where he still works with great satisfaction.

He also pursued his theatrical interests, writing and acting in the one-act stage play Beyond The Pail: A Plotless Play of Puns and Pottiness, performed in 2016 by Uppingham Theatre Company at Uppingham’s Falcon Hotel and at the Leicester Comedy Festival.

He has since staged entertainments at London’s Club for Acts & Actors, published two comedy collections and joined Stamfordbased choir One A-Chord.

His experiences there encouraged him to write the lyrics for – and to sing – his own song about The Duke of Edinburgh.

“His Royal Highness’s Household could not endorse a private individual’s project but informed me that I could pursue it in favour of a suitable charity. I chose The Silver Line, the national helpline for older people founded by Dame Esther Rantzen in 2012.”

“This wonderful organisation exists to serve those aged 55 and over in the UK by providing a free, confidential service, offering information, advice and friendship all day, every day.” “It struck me that, as a beneficiary of the release of the song, no charity could be more suitable, given the struggles with loneliness and feelings of vulnerability which so many older people have faced in the pandemic.”

“So, as well as reflecting upon The Duke of Edinburgh’s life, the song aims to raise funds to enable The Silver Line to expand its work, and awareness among more older people that this incredibly valuable service is there for them whenever they need it.”

“As this is a relatively young charity, the good news that it exists has not yet reached everyone. The Silver Line cannot legally be an official partner of the project but have said that I can fundraise in aid of them. It is donations which are requested, rather than payments being made to download the song.”

“I completed the original lyrics last year shortly before The Duke of Edinburgh’s 99th birthday and asked my university friend Chris Fish, a school Head of Academic Music and a composer, to write the music.”

“The day after His Royal Highness’s death, I adapted the birthday lyrics to be a celebration of his life and re-recorded the vocals two days later.”

“However, we broadly retained the same tune. Chris and I felt that this was still in keeping with the mood which we wanted to create for a gentleman who disliked too much fuss and who would no doubt wish to be remembered with a cheerful song rather than a mournful one.” “We knew a light-hearted touch was needed at one point, given that His Royal Highness was famous for his humour.”

“We aimed for catchy and upbeat, but with the right sprinkling of the sentimental. I always wanted to create a video to accompany the project and was delighted to obtain excellent footage, predominantly from the archive of the Associated Press and British Movietone.” “The stills and footage which have been incorporated into the song reflect the lyrics and help to celebrate The Duke of Edinburgh’s life and his devotion to duty.” “I am so grateful to the collaborators who have helped me to create the music video, and now I want to ensure that as much good comes from it as possible, raising money for The Silver Line and celebrating the life of the longest-serving consort in the history of the British Monarchy.” “The song’s final verse features the lyric ‘as we drink to dear Prince Philip…’ I shall certainly be doing just that, and I hope very much that many others will be joining me.” n The song is available now to enjoy on Henry’s website, www.henrydawe.co.uk/two-paces-back/ from where there will be a link to the JustGiving fundraising website if people would like to donate to The Silver Line.

For anyone who does not use the internet but who wishes to make a donation, cheques made payable to The Silver Line – with a note that they are in response to this project – can be sent to: The Silver Line, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA.

Rutland Property Boom | Your guide to Stamp Duty Land Tax

Currently, thanks in part to the Stamp Duty Land Tax “holiday”, residential properties across the nation are selling at the fastest pace ever recorded and house prices also hit record highs in March. Rutland is no exception to this property boom, with Rightmove reporting an overall average price of £380,736 for properties in Rutland over the past year and, sold prices in Rutland increasing 13% from the previous year.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a tax paid by the buyer to H M Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on the purchase of a UK residential property. In 2020, the Government raised the SDLT threshold (the starting point from which SDLT liability may apply) to £500,000 for residential property purchases in England and Northern Ireland. This threshold applies until 30 June 2021 after which it will lower to £250,000 until 30 September 2021 and then, from 1 October 2021, it has been indicated that the threshold will revert to £125,000.

However, although the reduction in SDLT liabilities has helped some house buyers, those adding to their property portfolio and/or who live abroad for part of the year should be aware of the latest SDLT changes introduced on 1st April.

Rebecca Walton, a solicitor at Hegarty Solicitors, one of a team specialising in commercial property and complex residential property transactions, discusses the latest changes.

New rules for non-UK residents

You must have lived in the UK for a minimum of 183 days in the 365 days immediately preceding a purchase (not necessarily consecutive days) to qualify as a UK resident. If you have not, you will not qualify and will be deemed a non-UK resident for the purposes of SDLT liability. From 1st April 2021, non-UK residents purchasing residential properties will be subject to a further 2% surcharge when calculating SDLT. For individuals purchasing with others, the surcharge also applies when any one of those individuals is a non-UK resident. There are, however, some reliefs, e.g. if the non-UK resident moves to the UK to live within a year of completion, an application can be lodged at HMRC for a refund of the surcharge within 2 years of completion (N.B. to qualify for this refund other conditions must be satisfied).

For companies, the additional surcharge will apply where one or more of the controlling owners is a non-UK resident on the completion date or, the company is not incorporated in the UK. The rules are more complex for companies and they are likely to require specific tailored advice.

Purchasing an ‘additional’ property

A 3% surcharge is payable by all individuals who purchase a residential property which will not replace their main residence. This 3% surcharge is added to all the usual rates of SDLT duty, and therefore applies to the rates applicable during the SDLT holiday transition period.

The 3% surcharge can be reclaimed where the property is to replace the individual’s main residence if the reclaim is made within the first 36 months of completion of the purchase of the property (N.B. once again, to qualify for this refund other conditions must be satisfied).

How does SDLT apply when purchasing multiple properties?

Where six or more properties are being purchased in one transaction, the buyer can opt to pay either the non-residential rates or, opt to pay the higher rates and utilise Multiple Dwellings Relief (MDR). MDR may also be applied when purchasing a property with an annex (certain conditions must be satisfied to qualify for this relief).

Where two or more property transactions are between the same seller and buyer, they are classified as “linked transactions” and SDLT liability is calculated on the total value of all of these linked transactions. Connected persons within the transaction also form the link.

There is no limit to the length of time that transactions are classed as linked, e.g. purchase one house now from a developer and ten years later you buy a second, or, e.g. a parent buys a house, and their child buys the garden separately. These are still classed as linked transactions for SDLT purposes. In these cases, the total value of the transactions are added together and the difference in SDLT from the previous transaction must be paid. It may be possible to claim the MDR as a result of purchasing more than one property.

If all properties are residential, then the residential rates apply but if any or all properties are non-residential then the commercial rates apply. There may also be the higher rate surcharge of 3% that is applicable.

The SDLT rules and calculations can be complex and each transaction must be considered based on the facts specific to each purchase. Hegarty Solicitors are able to advise and guide on the SDLT legislation and calculations relevant to your particular transaction and, subject to instructions, act as your agent in remitting the SDLT return and the liability to HMRC on your behalf.

If you require further advice regarding SDLT, please contact Hegarty Solicitors Commercial Property team at propertycommercial@hegarty.co.uk or make an enquiry at hegarty.co.uk.

Sir Alan Duncan’s time IN THE THICK OF IT

Going on holiday somewhere in the UK this summer? Relaxing in the garden? Then you’ll need a good read. And if you only digest one book this summer, make it this one! Sir Alan Duncan is the former MP for Rutland & Melton, caught in the eye of the storm of Theresa May’s government and Boris Johnson’s transition from Foreign Secretary to Prime Minister. His brand-new political diaries In The Thick of It, are an honourable, savage, hilarious and brilliant literary dissection of the political elite!

Words: Rob Davis.