What’s on for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend
Newbury
A Beacon will be lit in Newbury’s Victoria Park in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Newbury Town Council is hosting the community event tomorrow (Thursday), to commemorate Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne.
It is anticipated that the Newbury beacon will be one of more than 2,000 which will be lit across the country.
The events will take place in Victoria Park and the town council is inviting everyone to go along and join in the celebrations.
Music and entertainment from local groups will take place from 7pm including Sing for Fun, VoxFresh and VoxSonix, and Newbury Rock Choir. At 9.30pm the beacon will be lit and commemorations will take place.
Families are encouraged to take picnic teas and their own seating to enjoy the entertainment and the children’s funfair, which will be in the park throughout the evening.
At 2pm on the same day, the town crier will also deliver the proclamation announcing the beacon lighting in the Market Place.
Thursday, June 2, at 10am, 11am and noon: West Berkshire Museum – Messy museum. Suitable for 7-11 year olds. £2 per child.
Friday, June 3, at 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm: Shaw House – A Royal visit from Beauty and her Prince.
Suitable for 3-7 year olds. £5 per child. 40 minutes long.
St George’s Church will hold an outside service of thanksgiving on Sunday (June 5) at 11am. It will be followed by a street party at midday. Bring your own picnic and join in the fun. Hot drinks and cake will be provided and there will be children’s games and a sing-a-long. Dress in red, white and blue or something regal. There will be prizes for the best crown. All welcome. Just turn up.
Hungerford
Join in the lighting of the Hungerford Beacon at the Triangle Field at 9.45pm tonight (Thursday), in conjunction with beacons across the country. The rugby club bar will be open from 8pm. Food (burgers, bacon rolls, sausage rolls and vegetarian options plus hot drinks) will be available and Hungerford Town Band will be playing.
Sunday, June 5 – Jubilee picnic and entertainment
There will be lots of joy and celebration at The Croft Green (between the tennis club and the Croft Club) and the Croft Field (next the canal).
Bring your own picnic, rugs and chairs (but not your dogs please). You can stock up with goodies for your Jubilee Picnic at the Food & Artisan Market on the Croft Field from 10am to 1pm. And you can grab a barbecue, pizza and beer at The Croft Club from 1pm.
10am – 1pm: Jubilee Make & Bake competition entry drop-off at the Food & Artisan Market, Croft Field
12pm – 7pm: Bar, barbecue and pizza at The Croft Club
2pm – 7pm: Jubilee picnic on the Croft Green opened by the mayor
2pm – 7pm: Borough Arms Bar outside The Croft Hall
2pm – 7pm: Live music, Croft Green
2pm – 5pm: Stalls and activities, Croft Field
2.30pm: Make & Bake competition winners announced, Croft Field
3pm Tug of war tournament with Hungerford Rugby Club (bring your team or join a team on the day), Croft Field
4pm Children and parent races with Hungerford Scouts, Croft Field
To get involved please email jubileehungerford@gmail.com
Thatcham
Thatcham Town Council will be taking part in the national Platinum Jubilee Beacon Lighting festivities tonight (Thursday). The commemorative beacon will be lit at the Dunstan Green Playing Fields at 9.45pm in line with the lighting of beacons across all UK and Commonwealth nations.
Thatcham primary schools will create a mass choir to sing a specially-written and composed Song for the Commonwealth. Music teacher Pedro Santos has been commissioned to work on this. This song, which was written and composed by Lucy Keily from Australia and Vincent Atueyi Chinemelu from Nigeria, will also be sung by many community choirs that are taking part throughout the UK.
A town crier is to declare a special written proclamation announcing the start of the celebrations in the town centre. The evening, starting at 8.03pm, will be a change for families to “join the festivities” and make a commemorative item. There will be dance displays, street theatre and music from Cold Ash Brass.
At 9.40pm a “specially written” bugle call, entitled Majesty, will officially announce the lighting of the beacon.
The primary schools choir will then sing the specially commissioned music just before 9.45pm and the lighting of more than 1,500 Platinum Jubilee Beacons.
Thatcham Town Council has also said that it will not be possible to park at Dunstan Green on the day. It has asked the public to make alternative arrangements. The nearest parking is at Bradley-Moore Square car park or the Kingsland Centre car park in the town centre.
More information on all jubilee events can be found on the town council’s Facebook page and website.
Around the villages
Along with the rest of the country, many villages will be lighting a beacon this evening (Thursday) at 9.45pm to start off the jubilee celebrations.
Streatley and Goring are attempting to enter the Guinness Book of World Records with their 1km-long street party and jubilee lunch on Sunday.
More than 500 trestle tables will be set out in a continuous line from the railway bridge in Goring to the traffic lights in Streatley.
The Swan at Streatley is hosting an outdoor cinema experience this evening (Thursday), showing Rocketman. Tickets to the event will include a burger and a gin and tonic.
Mortimer is throwing a ‘Moulin Mortimer’ burlesque evening on Friday which will be free to enter and will have a fully-stocked bar.
The village’s main event will take place on Saturday, when there will be a procession beginning at 11am that will contain marching bands, Scouts, steam traction engines, vintage tractors and much more.
This will be followed by a fair on The Fairground with food, drink, stalls, activities and live music. There will also be a flypast from the last surviving Second World War Lancaster bomber at 3.30pm, along with a host of other surprises throughout the day, including a fireworks display to top it all off.
Throughout half term in East Ilsley families can take part in an augmented reality Jubilee village safari walk that will tell the story of Sir Barnaby Beacon as he gets ready for the most important night of his life.
On Thursday before their beacon is lit, the village will unveil its new Jubilee wood, which is part of the Queen’s Green Canopy.
In Beenham over the whole Jubilee weekend there will be a children’s teddy bear trail in Greyfield Wood, and on Friday the village will unveil its Jubilee footbridge over the Bourne at 4pm. The bridge will be built in Greyfield Wood throughout the day, so take a picnic and join in the celebrations from 10am.
On Saturday, Beenham is hosting a 1950s-style fun day on the village’s recreation ground that will start with a wheelbarrow race from the Six Bells pub to the rec.
On the same day, Woolhampton is holding a village fete at the village hall in Bath Road, with
festivities expected to begin at 2pm.
Pangbourne College’s annual classic car show is taking place on Saturday and it will feature a unique display that celebrates the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The show will also feature a flypast from a Lancaster bomber from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at 3.45pm.
Hampstead Norreys is holding a Jubilee barn dance at the village hall on Friday evening, with the village encouraging those who attend to bring their own food and drink to share with other villagers.
The Bucklebury Jubilee Walk will take place today (Thursday), starting at 10.30am at The Cottage Inn. It will be a short walk to see where the Coronation Oak once stood.
Hermitage will host a day of entertainment with fun, food, stalls and BYO picnic at the village hall on Sunday (June 5).
North Hampshire
In Kingsclere, the beacon will be lit at 9.45pm tonight (Thursday) on the downs between White Hill and Watership Down, and on Friday there will be a duck race at the stream at the foot of Pope’s Hill, as well as a street party at The Crown. On Saturday, there will be a 1950s-themed grand parade through the village at 2pm, followed by a party at the Fieldgate Centre.
On Sunday, there is a Jubilee service at 10.30am at St Mary’s Church, followed by a picnic.
Ecchinswell is holding a party on Saturday from 2pm to 10pm in the village hall with a 1950s-style dress code. There will be a great Jubilee bake-off competition, Jubilee jive in the evening and a craft a crown competition.
Baughurst is holding a flower festival on Friday at St Stephen’s Church, and on Saturday there will be a circular walk/run/horse ride from Heath End Hall from 11.30am onwards. At 2pm there will be a tea party on the hall green, with memorabilia from the Queen’s reign.
At 7pm, residents are invited to watch the Party at the Palace on the big screen at the hall, which will be bookable in advance.
In Burghclere, on Thursday from 10.30am until noon there will be a Jubilee-themed community café at Burghclere church and on Friday morning a quarter peel is being rung by the Burghclere Bellringers, before an afternoon at the miniature railway, with a royal cake competition, games and crafts.
On Sunday afternoon there will be a street party at the Portal Hall and a special Songs of Praise with handballs in the evening at Burghclere Church.
In East Woodhay, St Martin’s Guild Fete will take place at Stargroves at 2pm on Friday and there will be a Jubilee party the following day at 6pm, again at Stargroves.
On Sunday, there is a civic service at St Thomas’ Church at 9.30am, followed by a picnic in the park at the Woolton Hill recreation ground from 12.30pm to 5pm.
In Highclere, there will be a celebration on Glebe Field behind the church at 12.30pm after a church service. Residents are encouraged to bring their own picnic, with a prize for the best display, and there will be live music with a DJ and band No Strings Attached.
In Tadley, the event will coincide with the Loddon Valley Lions’ annual Treacle Fair, which will this year be Jubilee themed.
This will be held on the Sunday on Saunders Field – next to where Lidl has now started building the new supermarket.
In Pamber Heath, the parish council will be holding a party on June 2 at Pamber Park, from 7.30pm to 10.30pm, including a bar, music, food and a cake-making competition, with the beacon being lit at 9.45pm.
In Silchester, the parish council is organising a beacon lighting outside the Calleva Arms to coincide with the national event at 9.45pm this evening (Thursday).
The Calleva Arms will be providing a barbecue. Silchester Association is arranging a Party in the Park at Silchester playing fields for Sunday from 12.30pm, featuring a picnic on the field in front of the sports pavilion. Residents are invited to bring their own gazebo, tables and chairs and there will be a fancy dress competition for children and Silchester’s own Jubilee Pudding competition. There will be a closing session and the National Anthem at 4pm.