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Pictures from the Celebrations of the Queen's 70th Platinum Jubilee in Willersey
Pictures from Willersey's Celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee
Sunday, 5th June 2022
(This is page is still under construction. Please return for updates.)
Our exciting programme celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years of service as England's longest reigning monarch.
10:00 A Service of Thanksgiving and Commemoration in Saint Peter's Church.
11:00 Dedication of the Jubilee Commemorative Bench in the Churchyard
We invited donations from Willersey organisations and businesses for this bench, sited in the Remembrance Garden, to commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.
This bench provides a place to remember loved ones, for quiet reflection in a beautiful spot and a lasting tribute to the Queen’s long service thanks to:
Saint Peter's Church
Willersey Parish Council Giddy Up!
SAL Electrical The New Inn
Women's Institute The Bell Inn
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11:30 Photograph of parishioners taken from the top of Saint Peter's Church tower.
Picture to come.
Listen to the sound of St Peter's Bells in celebration.
(They were rung at least three times at different times.)
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download what is a .Mov file to your device. This can take up to five minutes. It will then either play automatically or you can click on it to enjoy it completely.)
12:00 Saintbury Hill Race Start and Finish in Church Street by the Jubilee Tree
Race from the end of Church Street to Saintbury Church and back. It is uphill out and downhill back and all along footpaths.
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13:00 Willersey'’s ‘Street Party’ on the Recreation Ground
Live music, fun and entertainment
Children's Fancy Dress: Parade of Princes and Princesses
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14:00 Children and Youth Sports
15:30 Parish Picnic
We decked out our houses with flags and bunting for Her Majesty!
A beacon was lit at Broadway Tower
Platinum Jubilee: Her Majesty's Willersey Celebrations
Few of us can remember an England without Queen Elizabeth II as its Monarch. Many of us will never forget the event-filled, historic day on which Willersey joined the rest
of the country in paying tribute to Her Majesty's seven decades of leadership and service to our nation, Commonwealth and people.
A damp Sunday 5th June started with a beautiful, well-attended Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving in Saint Peter's Church. We gave thanks for our Queen and the inspiration of her Christian
faith and leadership in her role as the Head of the Church of England throughout the whole of her lengthy reign.
Immediately after, parishioners assembled in the Remembrance Garden, in the Churchyard on the south of Saint Peter's for the dedication by Reverend Scott Watts of our Platinum Jubilee Commemorative Bench.
This was followed by a photograph, taken from Saint Peter's Tower roof, of parishioners gathered near the entrance to the Churchyard as a historic record of the day.
On great Willersey occasions, a tradition for the village is to send its fittest and fastest running. Over two dozen runners left the start-line in Church Street, by the Jubilee Tree,
at midday on the Jubilee Day's Saintbury Hill Race. It seemed like only a few minutes before Harry Shaylor appeared from the gate of the Churchyard to sprint down Church
Street to cross the finish tape first, with his father Nick, running in impressively, about twenty yards behind him. Nigel Foxall was announced as winner of the special prize for the fastest Parish Councillor.
All of our runners ran strongly and well to finish and all were awarded a participant's medal, with the winners of each class winning a cup. Nick and Jenny Shaylor provided refreshment
and sustenance to our athletes with free bottles of their Gorsehill Abbey Farm organic milkshakes.
At one-thirty pm, a parade of Willersey's youngest princes and princesses processed in fancy-dress from the Jubilee Tree, down Main Street to the Rec', to be greeted by our Jubilee Queen, Adine Keatley.
A beautifully marked-out race track on the Recreation Ground was the site of the Jubilee sports, with full and enthusiastic fields of young competitors for the sprinting, relay, egg & spoon, three-legged and sack races.
At three o’clock Saint Peter's six bells pealed out beautifully across the village. Half an hour later, with the children's sports concluded and prizes awarded, our Jubilee Parish Picnic was opened,
with due ceremony, in the giant ring of gazebo and picnic pitches. Parish Council Chairman, Councillor Phil Bennett spoke of the Queen's reign and led three cheers for Her Majesty then Churchwarden
Robert McNeil-Wilson paid tribute to her service and commitment and proposed the Loyal Toast. Our Rector, Reverend Scott, led the prayers before the singing of the National Anthem.
Jubilee Master of Ceremonies, Disco Dave Smith kicked a superb programme of entertainment off with the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun. Martin Hainsworth played a gentle,
laid-back acoustic set as picnicers tucked into their feasts and raised a glass or two.
Reverend Scott and his wife, Ros, judged the competition for the best decorated picnic pitch, giving them a chance to tour the Rec' and speak to everyone. Jo Faulkner livened up the assembled parishioners
and in the course of the afternoon, led them all in a couple of rounds of that great, Elizabethan tradition; the Pub Quiz. The crowd were delighted by the Main Street Band's performance which featured the superb,
pure, professional harmonies of Akerman sisters, Libby and Charlie. Julie Wood rounded off the show beautifully, getting Willersey singing along with a collection of entertaining 50s and 60s songs.
Despite the forecasts and worst fears, the rain held off. There was no sunshine on the day, but Willersey's Jubilee celebrations were blessed by absolutely every element of the event exceeding all expectations. R M-W
God save the Queen!
A message from Her Majesty.
Back to Willersey Jubilee Celebrations.
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