The church where a young Margaret Roberts grew up is celebrating her life today. The girl who later became Baroness Thatcher died yesterday at the age of eighty seven. Born in a working class family - her father was a lay preacher. They regularly attended Christ Church Grantham. A few current members still remember how young Margaret learnt to play the organ there and later went on to become a Sunday school teacher. Revd Lesley Taylor's the minister there now.
She told Premier's Marcus Jones on the News Hour the church is proud to have played a part in her life.
It's been confirmed Baroness Thatcher's funeral will take place next Wednesday. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will lead the mourners at St Paul's Cathedral. But it won't be a full state funeral. The former Prime Minister herself insisted she didn't want one, and rejected suggestions she should lie in state or be honoured with a flypast. Lord Powell was the former PM's Private Secretary for 8 years. He visited her on Sunday night at the Ritz Hotel just hours before her death.
He said St Paul's holds particular significance for her:
"Because of the Falklands memorial service which was held there and the Falklands too were the basis of her great links with the armed forces for whom she had great respect. "A funeral which combined those two elements was important to her."
Service personnel will line The Strand, as her coffin is carried on a gun carriage from Westminster to St Paul's. Anthony Coombs was an MP in the Thatcher Government.
He told Premier's Des Busteed he hopes people show her respect.
Overnight there were reports of some celebrating her death with people gathering in Glasgow and Brixton in London. But their conduct's been condemned by Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness. Baroness Thatcher became a hate figure for many in Ireland when she was accused of allowing a number of republicans to die on hunger strike while in prison in the 80s.
But Mr McGuinness has tweeted "she wasn't a peacemaker but it is a mistake to allow her death to poison our minds."