The Diamond Jubilee of
Queen Elizabeth II

There were no official arrangements in Bourne to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in the spring of 2012 and it was left mainly to local organisations and individuals to arrange their own celebrations. This was anticipated because the town council had called a public meeting at the Corn Exchange on Monday 28th March 2011 to organise events when the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton was also being discussed and the reception was distinctly lukewarm.

The intention was for groups and individuals to organise joint celebrations on the day but in the event little progress was made. The Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Pet Moisey, who took the chair, said afterwards: "The meeting was over in half an hour and nothing was decided. It was all very disappointing."

National celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee on Tuesday 5th June 2012 lasted over the entire weekend, Saturday and Sunday followed by the traditional Spring Bank Holiday on the Monday and an additional Bank Holiday on the Tuesday to mark the actual Diamond Jubilee. Those in Bourne who did celebrate therefore chose to do so on whichever day was suitable for those taking part.

Events were certainly sparse with the biggest attraction at the Wellhead Field although this was largely a coincidence because the celebrations fell during the annual Bourne Festival where there was an entire weekend of attractions for all the family including craft and food stalls, a fun fair, beer festival and live music with many headline acts although an additional Abba tribute night on the Monday had been arranged as part of the jubilee celebrations, a concert sponsored by local people and businesses with Bourne Round Table providing the stage and marquee.

The town council ordered red, white and blue bunting at a cost of £224 at the last minute which was hung across the main streets in the town centre but other flags and decorations were left to individual shopkeepers and the owners of business premises. Added to this, the weather marred the entire weekend with wind and rain a major deterrent to being outdoors and so many events suffered accordingly.

¬ The Civic Society staged an exhibition featuring life in the 1950s at the Heritage Centre in Bourne to mark the jubilee. The display contained a wide range of articles amassed by Jim and Brenda Jones including photographs from the period, clothing, reproductions of advertisements and other items to show what life was like at the time Queen Elizabeth acceded to the throne in 1952.

But old people particularly who remembered the coronation in 1952 were unwilling to let the occasion go by without celebration whatever the weather.

¬ At the Digby Court care home in Christopher's Lane, residents held an indoor street party organised by the Friends of Digby Court and everyone who attended was presented with a commemorative souvenir mug decorated with a picture of the Queen donated by the Order of St John Care Trust which runs the home.

¬ A commemorative tree was planted in the grounds of Browning Court, the residential care flats in Manning Road, by the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Tony Worth, who was accompanied by his wife, Jenny. The planting was suggested by the oldest resident, Mrs Betty Giles, who is 95, and a blue spruce was chosen after a vote among everyone who lives there. After the ceremony, the Lord Lieutenant cut a crown cake and joined residents for an indoor street party. "We wanted a permanent reminder of the Diamond Jubilee", explained the manager, Lindsay Bishop. “Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the occasion, especially the tea party. We had to arrange the seating in the shape of a horseshoe to get everyone in."

Elsewhere, the celebrations continued.

¬ At Southfields, Bourne, young and old joined together to celebrate on the street’s only open space where there was tea and cakes for everyone and games and face painting for the children. Neighbours rallied round to help after wind caused a marquee to collapse and by 4pm almost the whole street was braving the rain with smiles on their faces.

¬ A street party was also held at the Outdoor Swimming Pool where 70 people of all ages sat down to tea and cakes with fun and games afterwards.

¬ At Alexandra Terrace, residents turned out to enjoy a jubilee street party with their neighbours. Bunting lined the streets and damp conditions did not prevent anyone from joining in. Peter Lee, 52, who was born in the street and has lived there his whole life, said it was great to see everyone having such a good time together.

¬ At the Headstart Nursery in South Road, the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Helen Powell, visited to plant a tree as part of the Woodland Trust's scheme to mark the jubilee and then joined children for a tea party of cucumber sandwiches and Victoria sponge cake. The boys and girls then played croquet, had a tug of war and a treasure hunt for coins of the realm.

¬ Over 60 people gathered for a street party style event at the Abbey Church hall the following Saturday with a special cake made by social committee chairman, Judy Smith, and a range of other food before making a toast to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. “A lot of people who had watched the celebrations on television came together to celebrate the occasion with their friends and family", explained Mrs Smith. “It was a great success and everyone enjoyed themselves.” A jubilee theme fancy dress hat competition was also held and the event ended with a royal quiz.

¬ Bell ringers at the Abbey Church rang a jubilee peal to commemorate the great day. A peal is the name given to a particular type of change ringing carried out on special occasions and must consist of 5,040 changes which is a considerable and time consuming feat. The six-man team began ringing at 9.35 am on Wednesday 6th June and completed the peal at 12.30 pm, 2 hours 55 minutes later, a wonderful and evocative sound that could be heard quite clearly over a mile away.

Most of the surrounding villages held some form of celebration.

¬ At Baston, villagers took their own food, drink and gazebos for cover to defy the rain at their jubilee party held at the Brudenell Playing Field where Penny Woods, aged 9, was crowned Rose Queen, with Jonathan Roberts, also nine, as her consort. Cooked food was served for lunch and real ales were on tap in the beer tent, while rides and games kept the youngsters entertained. Five-year-old Kelsey Stanley made a huge jubilee top hat for the event, with the help of her brother Jake. Proud dad Mark said: “We came prepared, we’ve got that jubilee spirit. We’re going to soldier on through the rain.”

¬ At Carlby, children dressed as kings and queens and joined a parade through the main street as part of the two day jubilee celebrations and on the Sunday, the village hall was packed as 80 people sat down to enjoy barbecue food and strawberries and ice cream. The organisers had planned for a rainy weekend and so their indoor street party went on despite the stormy weather outside. A beech tree was also planted on the village green to mark the occasion and there was also an exhibition of royal memorabilia in the village hall displaying items from 60 years ago which had been loaned by villagers.

¬ At Edenham and Grimsthorpe, 100 villagers of all ages gathered outside the village hall for a jubilee photograph that can be passed down to future generations. This was followed by a tea party with games and a decorated wheelbarrow competition. A commemorative plaque celebrating the Queen's "Sixty Glorious Years" was also unveiled on the side of the hall which had been decorated with 125 metres of bunting made with materials donated by pupils of Edenham Primary School.

¬ At Haconby, celebrations were centred on the Hare and Hounds public house with children's games, a raffle and a barbecue. Villagers also braved the rain to attend a concert of live bands, a treasure hunt and a fly past.

¬ At Hanthorpe, a jubilee feast was held for residents at Hanthorpe Farm where families were happy to have some shelter from the weather and enjoyed an impressive range of desserts, including Union Jack cupcakes.

¬ At Manthorpe, villagers celebrated under umbrellas watching a Spitfire flypast from the Jubilee Playing Field. During breaks in the rain, children took part in a series of games, buoyed on in the sack race by the crowd of adults who were indulging in the drinks and picnics they had brought along. “There were around 200 people present which is great considering the weather", said Peter Cork, chairman of the parish council.

¬ At Morton, children and adults took part in a fancy dress competition at the church but a street party in Waggoners Way was forced indoors by the bad weather. Resident Alison Baker opened her home and invited more than 30 friends and neighbours to join her family in celebrating the jubilee. “I remember the royal occasions from the past with big street parties and I wanted my children to have something of the same to talk about in the future", she explained. "Everyone mucked in and we had a great day, the last people leaving about 11 pm.”

¬ At Morton, souvenir mugs were handed out to children living in the two villages (Morton and Hanthorpe), the gifts being financed through a local charity dating back to the 18th century. Six hundred jubilee mugs were ordered and every boy and girl who was under 16 at the end of August 2012 received one together with any children not resident but who attended either the village school or the pre-school. Letters were circulated to ensure that no one was missed out and anyone else who did not qualify but wanted one was able to buy one for £5.

¬ At Rippingale, ladies who became known as "the bunting babes" spent several weeks sewing together more than five miles of red, white and blue bunting to decorate the village on the big day. The celebrations were marked by a vintage sports day continued despite the rain with villagers taking part in sack and egg and spoon races followed by tea under the cover of marquees on the Jubilee playing field followed by a jubilee quiz in the village hall.

¬ At Thurlby, villagers gathered for a traditional British garden party hosted by resident Susan Wheeler at her home in Obthorpe Lane, complete with gazebos, bunting and typical British weather. Neighbours young and old turned up despite the conditions to enjoy food, drink and good company.

There was also a great deal of tree planting in and around Bourne to mark the event. An oak sapling was planted on Wednesday 16th May 2012 at the Jubilee Meadow, an extension to the Wellhead Gardens, by the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Brenda Johnson, with trustees of Bourne United Charities and members of the town council in attendance. Sixty trees were also planted around the playing field at Twenty, near Bourne, one for each year she has reigned.

NOTE: Photographs courtesy The Local newspaper

See also Tree planting

WRITTEN JUNE 2012