Plans for four days of celebrations in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge to mark next year’s Queen’s Diamond Jubilee are gathering pace after a meeting of organisers this week.
20 people representing various groups across the town gathered on Thursday evening (September 29th) at the BAY Centre to discuss holding scores of Jubilee events during June 2012.
The Town Council has set aside £9,000 to help fund the celebrations, which will take place in both towns over four days starting on Saturday June 2nd.
The long-awaited unveiling of Highbridge’s new four-faced town clock will lead the events, along with the restoration of the victorian water fountain in Burnham’s Seaview Road.
Several entertainment events are being planned, including an outdoor live music event in the Manor Gardens to be called ‘Jubilee Jazz In the Park’.
Other events under discussion include a family beach party, a possible youth festival in Apex Park, street parties outside the S&D and Victoria Hotel, plus festivities in Marine Cove, an outdoor tea party and a celebratory ‘Songs of Praise’ organised by local churches.
Free mugs for local schoolchildren are also being considered, as we first reported earlier this year, however several other mementos, such as bookmarks, are also being investigated.
The launch of a new Burnham and Highbridge Diamond Jubilee trust to benefit local youngsters for years to come was also proposed at Thursday’s meeting and is to be discussed further.
“We want our towns’ celebrations to be one of the best in the whole south west,” said town councillor Neville Jones, who led Thursday’s meeting.
“There’s only nine months to go and that doesn’t give us a lot of time to plan and organise the large number of events being planned.”
The new working group is operating alongside the Town Council’s own
Jubilee Projects Committee, headed by Cllr Jones. The BAY Centre’s Julia Elswood has been appointed the new Chairman of the working group.
Any local people who are planning to hold Jubilee events in Burnham and Highbridge, such as street parties, should contact the working group via the Town Clerk by email here to ensure they are included in the overall planning.
