420,000 Scouts

Scouts across the United Kingdom have been taking part in the Scouts’ Platinum Jubilee Challenge, undertaking activities such as working in their local communities, hosting Jubilee lunches, planting trees and helping to light Jubilee beacons.

You can see on the left a letter from Her Majesty The Queen to Chief Scout Bear Grylls OBE, sending her best wishes to all involved.

Beavers

The 1st Harleston Beavers took part in the Harleston Jubilee Event on June 4 (see photo collage above), marching in the Parade of Flags from the Market Place to the Recreation Ground.

Thank You Day

Thank You Day was started in 2021 by just 13 people and it’s now a national event supported by the Scouts and Guides, Rotary, Royal Voluntary Service, the NHS, The Mirror, The Sun, the Football Association, The Eden Project and the Church of England, amongst others.

For this year’s Thank You Day, on June 5, Scouts were asked to say thank you to “whoever deserves it, whether that’s to the Queen, each other or the organisations that make such important differences.”

Recognition

As well as The Queen acknowledging the Scouts’ hard work participating in the Jubilee Challenge, three outstanding Scouts who have received a Meritorious Conduct Award were interviewed by Jason Manford and Fleur East at the Big Jubilee Street Party on ITV.

And Astronaut Tim Peake who is a Scout Ambassador singled out the Scouts for mention in a Thank You Day post on Twitter encouraging people to “say a very big thank you to everyone who volunteers their time to help others and to add such incredible value to their community.”

TMOR2022

The East Anglian Cruising Club held the Thurne Mouth Open Regatta June 2-5 which was combined with Jubilee celebrations. Cloudy on the Sunday, but that didn’t seem to put anyone off!

Catering to All

There was a full programme of Jubilee events in addition to the daily races; and the catering team pictured below combined a sailing vibe with Jubilee colours to offer a smiley warm welcome to visitors.

New Arrival

Wodehouse Stud, near Norwich, has announced the arrival of Wodehouse Lilibet, their first foal of the year who was born on the eve of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. They decided to name her after The Queen!

Lilibet has exceptional bloodlines to support her future in showjumping. Her grandfather, Baloubet du Rouet, was Olympic Champion and three times World Cup Champion; and her motherline has a history of breeding fantastic jumpers and is also a product of the breeding program at Wodehouse Stud.

Sisters India and Atiya, daughters of Paul and Louise Bussey who founded the Stud, have high hopes that one of them will take Lilibet to the top of the sport; they are already successful sportswomen, having represented Great Britain in Youth competitions up to European Championship level.

Pictured: Lilibet, courtesy of India Bussey

Honing

A beacon was lit by Sir William Cubitt DL on the Thursday (June 2) at Honing, overlooking the River Ant valley.

Sir William also reports that a Memorabilia exhibition of Royal and general interest from 1952 to 2022 was held on Saturday 4 June at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Honing, with refreshments on sale in aid of church funds.

Ranworth

Jane Cator DL writes: “As you can see from the photo, we had a spectacular beacon in Ranworth to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We started the party at 8.00 pm and lit the beacon at 9.45 pm exactly.

“It ignited perfectly and we had a vertical wall of flame to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne. The party was well attended by 80-90 people which made for a really good party atmosphere.”

Field Dalling

Alexandra Bartram DL has sent this charming photo taken after the Jubilee Evening Service at St Andrew’s, Field Dalling.

Left to right: Baroness Rawlings, Baroness in Waiting to The Queen; The Rt Revd Dr Jane Steen, Bishop of Lynn; Revd Canon Fiona Newton and Alexandra Bartram DL

Stradsett

A Platinum Jubilee Service was held at St Mary’s Stradsett on Sunday morning, June 5. It was followed by a picnic-style lunch outside for the congregation. Luckily it had stopped raining by then, as the wind had blown down and damaged the gazebo erected for the purpose!

James Bagge DL sent this photo (above) of the youngest churchgoer with a VIP visitor who we understand enjoyed the Service and said she was ‘always happy to help’.

North Walsham

James Athill DL attended a Service at St Nicholas's, North Walsham on Sunday 5 June.

Pictured are The Rev David Warner, Mr Duncan Baker MP, Mrs Mojan Athill, Col Jamie Athill DL and Cllr Garry Bull, North Walsham Mayor.

Salhouse Broad

Henry Cator OBE DL sent this idyllic photo (left, or above on mobile) of Salhouse Broad, complete with a display of Jubilee bunting, taken during the Bank Holiday weekend.

Erica Excels x 4

First off, Erica Foster’s completed challenges were so impressive that they caught the eye of the EDP who featured the photo below by her father Peter, of Erica with Lord and Lady Dannatt, in their Platinum Jubilee pullout edition.

In the photo, Erica was about to set off on a 5.7km run across Norwich — and she nailed it for the Physical challenge!

The equally awesome feat of learning Ukrainian, so she could communicate more with the Ukrainian refugees the family is supporting, earned Erica success in the Learning challenge.

In addition, litter-picking was the theme of Erica’s Environmental challenge; and researching the life of Queen Elizabeth II completed the Award with the Celebration challenge.

Mundesley Rocks

The village of Mundesley became the first community to gain a Norfolk Platinum Jubilee Award, which was presented to them by Lady Dannatt.

The communal activites undertaken in each of the four categories included the Jubilee celebrations and planting hundreds of trees, amongst which are two dedicated to The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, at Gold Park.

Gorleston

We have found it difficult to choose between the many glorious photos of ‘Summer on the Mag’, the Jubilee celebrations at St Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston doing the rounds on social media! You can follow @churchonthemag on Twitter and @stmmgorleston on Instagram if you would like to see more. Meanwhile, we have chosen a lovely photo sent to us by The Revd Matthew Price, Vicar of ‘The Church on the Mag’.

He says, “It was wonderful to see the community come together, especially in light of the challenges many are facing at the moment. At the heart of our vision as a church is to be a transforming presence in our community and we were delighted to take the lead in such a high quality, collaborative community celebration of the Jubilee.”

Below: Revd Matthew Price and Lady Clare Agnew DL, with alpacas!

Village Tea

Andrew S. writes on the community website Nextdoor:

“As u see the ‘Jubilee Celebration’ was very well attended, everyone enjoyed being together for the afternoon. Thank u to the committee who organised it, could not have been done with out the ladys would produced such a delightful summer tea. The children also enjoyed the games that were there. A memorable day.”

A Piece of History

From modern-day Jubilee celebrations to the time of The Queen’s Coronation in 1953 — Hoveton and Wroxham gave us a history lesson on Sunday (June 5) by posting this extraordinary and timeless photo which captured a moment in “an elaborate series of celebratory events, beginning with a grand rebooted Tudor procession by river and road via Wroxham Broad to Hoveton Village Hall.”

Hanse Festival this Sunday

If you’re in the mood to keep the party going and are within reach of King’s Lynn, the Hanse Festival will be returning this Sunday 12th June after an enforced break due to Covid. The annual festival celebrates the town’s past and current membership of the Hanseatic League. Find out more on the Visit West Norfolk website.

Picture credit: Visit West Norfolk

All Welcome

A giant ‘Tea & Cake’ party was held at King’s Lynn Minster last Saturday (June 4).

Revd Canon Dr Mark Dimond tweeted: “Good to see some 300 locals popping in and visitors from Europe passing by.”

Blessing

The King’s Lynn Night Shelter has created a Jubilee Garden to remember people experiencing homelessness who sought help at the Night Shelter, and to be a visible witness to the value of every human person no matter what their circumstances or their past.

On Saturday June 4, the Bishop of Lynn blessed the new garden in a modest and touching ceremony.

The Queen’s Birthday Honours

Simon Bailey CBE QPM DL

Simon Bailey, former Chief Constable of Norfolk, has been awarded a CBE in recognition of his work in the area of child protection.

“I am absolutely committed to this county,” Simon had said when he retired from policing almost exactly a year ago at the end of June 2021. “I love the people, I love the honesty, the friendliness.”

Simon is, however, an active force in two key roles: Director of Strategic Engagement and Board Member at the Child Rescue Coalition and, closer to home, Chair of the Norfolk Community Foundation

The Foundation has embraced Simon with open arms, welcoming his leadership which will “help support our work in building stronger communities and improving the lives of people in Norfolk.”

Picture credit: Steve Adams/EDP