Plans come together locally for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend as we appeal for readers to share their memories

LOCAL councils, community groups and businesses are now well into the planning phases for celebration events for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

On February 6 The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.

To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary a four day UK bank holiday weekend will run from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5. The long bank holiday is to provide an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom to come together to celebrate the historic milestone.

Withernsea’s Jubilee Committee chaired by Jim Blake, are organising town events for the Thursday through to the Sunday. The Thursday evening will see Withernsea’s beacon lit along with beacons across the country. Over 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories.

On Sunday a town procession is being organised with all the community groups involved and ending in Valley Gardens to coincide with The Big Jubilee Lunch. This is were communities are encouraged to celebrate their connections and get to know each other a little bit better,

coming together in a spirit of fun and friendship. The group also hope to organise 70 free competitions over the four days from small old fashioned fete games such as guess how many sweets are in the jar to photography competitions with more revealed on the run up to the event.

Withernsea will have two Jubilee Gardens. One will be in the Italian Gardens organised by Withernsea Town Council to mark the special occasions and the other behind the Pier Road bus stop organised by the Withernsea Celebrates the Jubilee committee. The Jubilee committee are looking for donations of ornamental grasses, plants, trees or wildflower seeds – you can contact Jim through Facebook or e-mail Jimalor@skycom .

Patrington Parish Council are holding a meeting on Tuesday, March 8 at the Village hall on Church Lane in Patrington which is open to anyone who would like to help organise Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the village too.

More information will be provided nearer the time so please keep us posted with your community plans. We are preparing a special jubilee events edition of the paper for the June edition delivered at the end of May. As part of this we would like to hear from anyone who has met the Queen over the last 70 years and anyone who

remembers the Queen’s Coronation celebrations locally in Withernsea and the local villages or anyone who has any photographs of the Coronation celebrations or Silver and Golden Jubilee celebrations being held locally. Please e-mail withernseacommunitynews@hotmail.c om or call 07791 208415 and leave a message with your name and number if we are unavailable.

Nationally in addition to the celebrations, initiatives are ongoing

including The Queen’s Green Canopy and the Platinum Pudding competition which will create a lasting reminder of The Queen’s Jubilee. Roos Woodland Trust have contributed to the Green Canopy by planting a new wood (more details on page 3) and as we go to print the platinum pudding competition is in the third round of judging with the five finalists attending a live final mid March before the winning pudding is announced.

JUBILEE GARDEN UNDERWAY: Volunteers starting on one of the The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee gardens in Withernsea behind the bus stop on Pier Road

by Jim Blake