Spencers Wood’s big spectacular
SPENCERS WOOD residents were treated to a spectacular jubilee celebration on Friday afternoon.
Visitors flocked to Spencers Wood Recreation Ground to enjoy the activities on show, as well as their own picnic lunches.
With something for everyone, families came out in their numbers; face painting, balloon-making and a magic show all proved popular with the children.
“It’s been a great day,” organiser Linda Gale said.
“It’s been fantastic to see so many people enjoying themselves here.”
The day included a rousing rendition of the national anthem, delivered with patriotism fit for the occasion.
Visitors embraced the spirit of the day, taking part in a fancy dress parade, tug of war and raffle.
The jubilee also served as a moment of reflection, with children learning about the significance of the day through Jubilee-themed games.
Spencers Wood historians were also on hand to share their expert knowledge at one of the stalls.
“I’m so blown away by the amount of people that are here,” visitor Rachel Walker said. “It’s really, really awesome.”
“There’s such a strong sense of community spirit, I feel like everywhere I look there’s a familiar face.”
Ms Gale said there were two main motivations for keeping the celebration free to attend.
“First of all, it was being aware of the number of families, in this socalled affluent area, who are struggling to make ends meet, to just get by to feed their kids,” she explained.
“I saw this first-hand from volunteering at Helping Hands [food share] at Shinfield Baptist Church.”
“The second inspiration was a young lady who is usually very involved in the annual Spencers Wood Carnival.
“She couldn’t be here today, so I picked her brains and she said ‘Linda, make it free.’ And that’s what it’s been – it’s been wonderful.”
Ms Gale was full of praise for the support the organising committee had received from local organisations.
“The community around the three villages have been so generous to us,” she explained.
“We were successful in securing grants from the Shinfield Parish and One Stop, and without them we would not have been able to put this event together.”