A family of five have told of the surprise they received at Stonehenge yesterday.
Mrs Raffle, 35, who was with her three sons, aged two, six and seven, told Sky News: 'He waved at us first after my husband marched us all the way there on the chance we might get to see him.
'We kind of edged closer and closer until he noticed us and waved. We waved back and then one of the high security men edged us forward and he was moving forward at the same time, which was very exciting.
'The first person to say something was actually James. He said "Welcome to England".'
Mr Obama had ordered his Marine One to make the unscheduled landing at MoD Boscombe Down Airbase in Wiltshire, near Stonehenge, after flying out of Newport in south Wales, 60 miles to the north west, following the NATO summit.
Mrs Raffle said: 'At that point, he shook his hand and then he shook all of our hands. He said "It is such a beautiful place, do you live around here?"
'We said we have just moved to the area. He said it is very quiet and the air was beautiful and so peaceful.'
Obama was able to roam the ancient monument alone and exclaimed ‘How cool is this? Spectacular!’ Apparently, visiting Stonehenge has now been crossed off his bucket list.
He was the first serving US president to visit Wales and is now the first US president to visit Stonehenge.
However, not everybody was happy with the President's visit to the area. Several people were left incensed when their journeys were disrupted by the predictably huge US presidential cavalcade.
Motorist Andrew Turner tweeted: 'So Obama wrecked my A303 journey today, then I see him up close to Stonehenge. One word pretty much describes my feelings. A***.'
Andy Procter added: 'I wonder if Obama got stuck in his own traffic jam. Certainly made my A303 journey past Stonehenge more memorable. And slow.'
At the NATO summit, Britain agreed to provide 1,000 troops for a new NATO rapid reaction force which can be deployed to anywhere in the world within hours.
'We should have invited him back for coffee': Family-of-five tell of shock meeting with President Obama during trip to Stonehenge following NATO summit
By James Chapman for the Daily Mail and Dan Bloom and Steph Cockroft for MailOnline
6 September 2014
Daily Mail
A mother has told of her shock after her family-of-five had a chat with President Obama during a trip to Stonehenge - but that she now wishes she had invited him back for coffee.
Inspired by rumours that the President's helicopter had landed at the ancient site, Janice Raffle and her husband James marched across fields with their three sons in the hope they would catch a glimpse of the US President.
At first the family, who live a mile from the monument, were stuck at a fence. But a good-natured Obama wandered over to where they were standing - and even agreed to pose for a family photo.
Janice and James Raffle, with their three sons, posing for a family photo with Barack Obama at Stonehenge
Mrs Raffle, 35, who lives a mile from the site, said she 'should have invited him back for coffee' at the ancient monument
Landmark: Stonehenge had an unexpected guest in the form of U.S. President Barack Obama
Dwarfed by history: The President was given privileged access to wander among the stones themselves
Mrs Raffle, 35, who was with her three sons, aged two, six and seven, told Sky News: 'He waved at us first after my husband marched us all the way there on the chance we might get to see him.
'We kind of edged closer and closer until he noticed us and waved. We waved back and then one of the high security men edged us forward and he was moving forward at the same time, which was very exciting.
'The first person to say something was actually James. He said "Welcome to England".'
Mr Obama had ordered his Marine One to make the unscheduled landing at MoD Boscombe Down Airbase in Wiltshire after flying out of Newport in south Wales following the NATO summit.
Mrs Raffle said: 'At that point, he shook his hand and then he shook all of our hands. He said "It is such a beautiful place, do you live around here?"
'We said we have just moved to the area. He said it is very quiet and the air was beautiful and so peaceful.'
Mrs Raffle - who excitedly tweeted about the meeting while still at Stonehenge - is running the Great North Run tomorrow.
It is one of ten major races she is doing, while dressed as a bumble bee, to raise money for Cancer Research.
Several people took to her JustGiving page to make a donation to the cause after seeing her tweets about meeting the President. Her total now stands at almost £2,400.
She said: 'We should have invited him back for coffee. I should have asked him to sponsor me for one of my races!’
Not a normal walk in the country: The President greets 35-year-old Janice and James Raffle and their three sons. They headed from their home a mile away towards the monument after hearing rumours he was there
Nice to meet you! The President shook hands with the family after the unexpected landing by his helicopter
A moment they'll never forget: The family were stuck at a fence - but a good-natured Obama wandered over to say hello. Mrs Raffle told ITV News: 'I squealed like a teenager! You'd think I would know better'
Remember to take a photo: The family captured the moment - but one of Mrs Raffle's sons wasn't bothered
'He was very sweet actually - one of the boys had put his hand on barbed wire and he was saying "Be Careful".'
The President's motorcade weaved its way for 20 minutes across Salisbury Plain, to the amazement of passing drivers.
Under grey skies, the President then embarked on tour of the prehistoric stone circle and henge with Heather Sebire, the curator of the site for English Heritage.
‘How cool is this? Spectacular!’ the president exclaimed as he was afforded privileged access to the ancient sarsen stones themselves.
Mr Obama later said he had wanted to ‘knock Stonehenge off my bucket list’.
Not everyone was so delighted, however. Motorist Andrew Turner tweeted: 'So Obama wrecked my A303 journey today, then I see him up close to Stonehenge. One word pretty much describes my feelings. A***.'
Andy Procter added: 'I wonder if Obama got stuck in his own traffic jam. Certainly made my A303 journey past Stonehenge more memorable. And slow.'
‘How cool is this? Spectacular!’ the president exclaimed as he was afforded privileged access to the ancient sarsen stones themselves. He was later heard to say he had wanted to 'knock Stonehenge off my bucket list'
Time for a photo: The 4,000-year-old stones on Salisbury Plain are rarely accessible to the public as they are protected by English Heritage
Feeling Presidential: The remaining sandstone blocks have stood upright for thousands of years
Heather Sebire, English Heritage’s Stonehenge curator, said: ‘Mr Obama was fascinated by the story of the stones, what we know about them and the mysteries that have yet to be solved. He asked lots of questions about how old the monument is, how long it took to build it, and what was its purpose.
‘He described the atmosphere around the stones as "really special" and his visit to Stonehenge as “a highlight of my tour”.
'He particularly loved seeing the colour and texture of the stones. It was a beautiful still evening and it was a privilege to show the U.S. President around this unique monument which continues to inspire and intrigue people.’
Stonehenge general manager Kate Davies added: ‘Every day people from all over the world make the trip to the ancient stones but this visit was a particularly special one.’
Historians still disagree over the function of Stonehenge, which was far more extensive when it was assembled thousands of years ago on Salisbury Plan.
Built between 3,000 and 1,600 BC, the stone circle may have been a temple, a burial ground, an astronomical calendar or all three, scholars say.
No one knows for sure either how ancient Britons got the stones, which weigh up to 45 tonnes, to the site or what they used them for. Some of them had come all the way from south Wales.
Curious: The President asked several questions about the origin of the henge and its original function
Heather Sebire, English Heritage’s Stonehenge curator, said: 'It was a beautiful still evening and it was a privilege to show the U.S. President around this unique monument which continues to inspire and intrigue'
End of a long day: Jokes circulated that the President had met 'a bunch of immovable objects with no clear purpose'... and then visited Stonehenge. The Nato summit was held amid escalating threats by Islamic State
Long derided as a national disgrace, the visitor facilities at the monument have recently undergone a major refurbishment.
Photo opportunity: The moment was also captured on countless journalists' mobile phones (pictured)
The A-road that ran right along the edge of the site was closed and grassed over last year in a bid to 'restore the dignity' of the World Heritage Site.
The President was afforded a rare honour in being able to walk right up to the stones.
That privilege has long since been rescinded for ordinary visitors - except on the summer solstice, when they are allowed to revel in the site's pagan origins with dances and music at dawn.
This week's Nato summit in Newport was held amid an escalating crisis in Iraq and Syria, with Islamic State members threatening to behead a British hostage after murdering two U.S. journalists.
The U.S. and 10 of its key allies agreed the group is a significant threat to Nato countries and that they will take on the militants by squeezing their financial resources and going after them with military might.
'Outgunned and outmanned' Syrian forces will be bolstered by foreign powers arranged through what is currently a loose coalition including Britain.
But critics worry that there are doubts over how the terrorists can be tackled without another major Western intervention in Iraq.
And the Home Office is also concerned over the hundreds of young Britons who have flown to Iraq and Syria to join jihadi groups in the escalating conflict.
Perhaps it was inevitable that some joked the President had spent time with a clutch of immovable objects with no clear direction... and then visited Stonehenge.
HISTORY OF STONEHENGE
The first monument at the site on Salisbury Plain was probably built around 5,000 years ago, to mark where prehistoric people buried their cremated dead.
It was only later that the enormous sandstone sarsens and smaller bluestones were set up in the centre, transported up to 150 miles.
Historians believe the stone circle may have been a temple, a burial ground, an astronomical calendar or all three.
Although it appears isolated, it is actually just one part of a vast system of ancient earthworks on what would have been an unusually open landscape when Britain was an island of forests.
Despite its significance, it continued deteriorating badly until the turn of the last century, when passionate campaigns began to save it after it was gifted to the nation in 1918.
Source: English Heritage
There was a mixture of reactions on Twitter to the news that Obama was visiting Stonehenge
Read more:
Read more: Obama makes surprise visit to Stonehenge following NATO summit | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
James and Janice Raffles and their three sons, who live just a mile from the world's most famous prehistoric monument, were visiting Stonehenge yesterday in the hope of meeting US President Barack Obama after learning he was in the area.
The family marched across fields until they got stuck at a fence - but the good-natured President wondered over to where they were standing and even posed for a family photo.
Mrs Raffle, 35, who was with her three sons, aged two, six and seven, told Sky News: 'He waved at us first after my husband marched us all the way there on the chance we might get to see him.
'We kind of edged closer and closer until he noticed us and waved. We waved back and then one of the high security men edged us forward and he was moving forward at the same time, which was very exciting.
'The first person to say something was actually James. He said "Welcome to England".'
Mr Obama had ordered his Marine One to make the unscheduled landing at MoD Boscombe Down Airbase in Wiltshire, near Stonehenge, after flying out of Newport in south Wales, 60 miles to the north west, following the NATO summit.
Mrs Raffle said: 'At that point, he shook his hand and then he shook all of our hands. He said "It is such a beautiful place, do you live around here?"
'We said we have just moved to the area. He said it is very quiet and the air was beautiful and so peaceful.'
Obama was able to roam the ancient monument alone and exclaimed ‘How cool is this? Spectacular!’ Apparently, visiting Stonehenge has now been crossed off his bucket list.
He was the first serving US president to visit Wales and is now the first US president to visit Stonehenge.
However, not everybody was happy with the President's visit to the area. Several people were left incensed when their journeys were disrupted by the predictably huge US presidential cavalcade.
Motorist Andrew Turner tweeted: 'So Obama wrecked my A303 journey today, then I see him up close to Stonehenge. One word pretty much describes my feelings. A***.'
Andy Procter added: 'I wonder if Obama got stuck in his own traffic jam. Certainly made my A303 journey past Stonehenge more memorable. And slow.'
At the NATO summit, Britain agreed to provide 1,000 troops for a new NATO rapid reaction force which can be deployed to anywhere in the world within hours.
'We should have invited him back for coffee': Family-of-five tell of shock meeting with President Obama during trip to Stonehenge following NATO summit
Janice Raffle, 35, marched up to site with husband James and three sons
They had heard President Obama had made surprise stop at ancient site
Mr Obama spoke to the excited family and posed for a photo on her phone
She said: 'James said: "Welcome to England" and he said it was beautiful'
Obama exclaimed 'How cool is this? Spectacular!' as walked among stones
President later said he had wanted to 'knock Stonehenge off my bucket list'
Helicopter Marine One made diversion after summit in Newport, south Wales
They had heard President Obama had made surprise stop at ancient site
Mr Obama spoke to the excited family and posed for a photo on her phone
She said: 'James said: "Welcome to England" and he said it was beautiful'
Obama exclaimed 'How cool is this? Spectacular!' as walked among stones
President later said he had wanted to 'knock Stonehenge off my bucket list'
Helicopter Marine One made diversion after summit in Newport, south Wales
By James Chapman for the Daily Mail and Dan Bloom and Steph Cockroft for MailOnline
6 September 2014
Daily Mail
A mother has told of her shock after her family-of-five had a chat with President Obama during a trip to Stonehenge - but that she now wishes she had invited him back for coffee.
Inspired by rumours that the President's helicopter had landed at the ancient site, Janice Raffle and her husband James marched across fields with their three sons in the hope they would catch a glimpse of the US President.
At first the family, who live a mile from the monument, were stuck at a fence. But a good-natured Obama wandered over to where they were standing - and even agreed to pose for a family photo.
Janice and James Raffle, with their three sons, posing for a family photo with Barack Obama at Stonehenge
Mrs Raffle, 35, who lives a mile from the site, said she 'should have invited him back for coffee' at the ancient monument
Landmark: Stonehenge had an unexpected guest in the form of U.S. President Barack Obama
Dwarfed by history: The President was given privileged access to wander among the stones themselves
Mrs Raffle, 35, who was with her three sons, aged two, six and seven, told Sky News: 'He waved at us first after my husband marched us all the way there on the chance we might get to see him.
'We kind of edged closer and closer until he noticed us and waved. We waved back and then one of the high security men edged us forward and he was moving forward at the same time, which was very exciting.
'The first person to say something was actually James. He said "Welcome to England".'
Mr Obama had ordered his Marine One to make the unscheduled landing at MoD Boscombe Down Airbase in Wiltshire after flying out of Newport in south Wales following the NATO summit.
Mrs Raffle said: 'At that point, he shook his hand and then he shook all of our hands. He said "It is such a beautiful place, do you live around here?"
'We said we have just moved to the area. He said it is very quiet and the air was beautiful and so peaceful.'
Mrs Raffle - who excitedly tweeted about the meeting while still at Stonehenge - is running the Great North Run tomorrow.
It is one of ten major races she is doing, while dressed as a bumble bee, to raise money for Cancer Research.
Several people took to her JustGiving page to make a donation to the cause after seeing her tweets about meeting the President. Her total now stands at almost £2,400.
She said: 'We should have invited him back for coffee. I should have asked him to sponsor me for one of my races!’
Not a normal walk in the country: The President greets 35-year-old Janice and James Raffle and their three sons. They headed from their home a mile away towards the monument after hearing rumours he was there
Nice to meet you! The President shook hands with the family after the unexpected landing by his helicopter
A moment they'll never forget: The family were stuck at a fence - but a good-natured Obama wandered over to say hello. Mrs Raffle told ITV News: 'I squealed like a teenager! You'd think I would know better'
Remember to take a photo: The family captured the moment - but one of Mrs Raffle's sons wasn't bothered
'He was very sweet actually - one of the boys had put his hand on barbed wire and he was saying "Be Careful".'
The President's motorcade weaved its way for 20 minutes across Salisbury Plain, to the amazement of passing drivers.
Under grey skies, the President then embarked on tour of the prehistoric stone circle and henge with Heather Sebire, the curator of the site for English Heritage.
‘How cool is this? Spectacular!’ the president exclaimed as he was afforded privileged access to the ancient sarsen stones themselves.
Mr Obama later said he had wanted to ‘knock Stonehenge off my bucket list’.
Not everyone was so delighted, however. Motorist Andrew Turner tweeted: 'So Obama wrecked my A303 journey today, then I see him up close to Stonehenge. One word pretty much describes my feelings. A***.'
Andy Procter added: 'I wonder if Obama got stuck in his own traffic jam. Certainly made my A303 journey past Stonehenge more memorable. And slow.'
‘How cool is this? Spectacular!’ the president exclaimed as he was afforded privileged access to the ancient sarsen stones themselves. He was later heard to say he had wanted to 'knock Stonehenge off my bucket list'
Time for a photo: The 4,000-year-old stones on Salisbury Plain are rarely accessible to the public as they are protected by English Heritage
Feeling Presidential: The remaining sandstone blocks have stood upright for thousands of years
Heather Sebire, English Heritage’s Stonehenge curator, said: ‘Mr Obama was fascinated by the story of the stones, what we know about them and the mysteries that have yet to be solved. He asked lots of questions about how old the monument is, how long it took to build it, and what was its purpose.
‘He described the atmosphere around the stones as "really special" and his visit to Stonehenge as “a highlight of my tour”.
'He particularly loved seeing the colour and texture of the stones. It was a beautiful still evening and it was a privilege to show the U.S. President around this unique monument which continues to inspire and intrigue people.’
Stonehenge general manager Kate Davies added: ‘Every day people from all over the world make the trip to the ancient stones but this visit was a particularly special one.’
Historians still disagree over the function of Stonehenge, which was far more extensive when it was assembled thousands of years ago on Salisbury Plan.
Built between 3,000 and 1,600 BC, the stone circle may have been a temple, a burial ground, an astronomical calendar or all three, scholars say.
No one knows for sure either how ancient Britons got the stones, which weigh up to 45 tonnes, to the site or what they used them for. Some of them had come all the way from south Wales.
Curious: The President asked several questions about the origin of the henge and its original function
Heather Sebire, English Heritage’s Stonehenge curator, said: 'It was a beautiful still evening and it was a privilege to show the U.S. President around this unique monument which continues to inspire and intrigue'
End of a long day: Jokes circulated that the President had met 'a bunch of immovable objects with no clear purpose'... and then visited Stonehenge. The Nato summit was held amid escalating threats by Islamic State
Long derided as a national disgrace, the visitor facilities at the monument have recently undergone a major refurbishment.
Photo opportunity: The moment was also captured on countless journalists' mobile phones (pictured)
The A-road that ran right along the edge of the site was closed and grassed over last year in a bid to 'restore the dignity' of the World Heritage Site.
The President was afforded a rare honour in being able to walk right up to the stones.
That privilege has long since been rescinded for ordinary visitors - except on the summer solstice, when they are allowed to revel in the site's pagan origins with dances and music at dawn.
This week's Nato summit in Newport was held amid an escalating crisis in Iraq and Syria, with Islamic State members threatening to behead a British hostage after murdering two U.S. journalists.
The U.S. and 10 of its key allies agreed the group is a significant threat to Nato countries and that they will take on the militants by squeezing their financial resources and going after them with military might.
'Outgunned and outmanned' Syrian forces will be bolstered by foreign powers arranged through what is currently a loose coalition including Britain.
But critics worry that there are doubts over how the terrorists can be tackled without another major Western intervention in Iraq.
And the Home Office is also concerned over the hundreds of young Britons who have flown to Iraq and Syria to join jihadi groups in the escalating conflict.
Perhaps it was inevitable that some joked the President had spent time with a clutch of immovable objects with no clear direction... and then visited Stonehenge.
HISTORY OF STONEHENGE
The first monument at the site on Salisbury Plain was probably built around 5,000 years ago, to mark where prehistoric people buried their cremated dead.
It was only later that the enormous sandstone sarsens and smaller bluestones were set up in the centre, transported up to 150 miles.
Historians believe the stone circle may have been a temple, a burial ground, an astronomical calendar or all three.
Although it appears isolated, it is actually just one part of a vast system of ancient earthworks on what would have been an unusually open landscape when Britain was an island of forests.
Despite its significance, it continued deteriorating badly until the turn of the last century, when passionate campaigns began to save it after it was gifted to the nation in 1918.
Source: English Heritage
There was a mixture of reactions on Twitter to the news that Obama was visiting Stonehenge
Read more:
Read more: Obama makes surprise visit to Stonehenge following NATO summit | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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