‘It’s a once-in-a lifetime event... and a very good excuse for a booze-up’
At a street party in London, the residents were out in force to celebrate their ‘brave and loyal’ Queen
At noon precisely, the residents of Forster Road barricaded off their tree-lined street with near military precision. A car was manoeuvred into place to block one end, while at the other a makeshift barrier was dragged across the road and a man in his 60s acted as a very efficient sentry.
And so the first Platinum Jubilee street party in Beckenham began. Mums and dads moved barbecues, buckets of ice cold beer, gazebos, trestle tables and chairs into the centre of the road. Within minutes, children were piling cupcakes, sausage rolls and sandwiches on to paper plates.
Almost every house on the quarter mile long road in south-east London had a Union flag in its front window or red, white and blue bunting adorning perfectly manicured privet hedges.
Up and down the country, similar parties are expected to attract 12 million people as neighbours come together to celebrate the Queen’s
Jubilee. The people of Morecambe are hoping to host a record-breaking three-hour picnic on Sunday, when 5,000 people sit down at 500 tables along the seafront for a Big Jubilee Lunch. The tables will run in a continuous line for 1.61 miles.
The record, which the Lancashire town is hoping to beat, was set by the village of Combe Martin in Devon, with a 1.49-mile party marking the Golden Jubilee in 2002.
However, Windsor has since muscled in with its own record-breaking the same day, with organisers planning to erect 488 tables along the 2.6-mile Long Walk outside Windsor Castle.
The winner will scoop the UK record (the world record was set in Dortmund, Germany, in 2010, when a motorway was transformed into a 37-mile run of picnic tables).
Meanwhile, the Dorset town of Swanage was awash with red, white and blue as two rows of dining tables lined its historic high street.
But on Forster Road, residents know they will never be more than a five-minute walk away from a jubilee street party because no fewer than 12 are scheduled in neighbouring streets, over the three days of celebrations. Lee Ashby, 44, obtained council permission to close the street back in January. “Everyone was in favour,” he said. “It’s all about celebrating the Queen, the road and the community.” Residents raised £400 to pay for the children’s tea party, burgers, sausages and a bouncy castle. An all-female a capella group followed by a DJ ensured the adults – who have embraced the bring-your-own-booze policy with some zeal – can dance the evening away. Mr Ashby, who works in marketing, credits the pandemic, of all things, for helping to bring the community together.
“We set up a Whatsapp group to ensure everyone on the street was looked after during lockdown. We used that to organise this party.”
All adults wore name badges along with their house numbers to put names to faces after months of only virtual communication.
Aged just nine, Jack Ashby believes the Jubilee has brought people together. “The excitement has been building up for weeks. I’ve now met new people here,” he said.
The inspiration for the party came after Barbara Kemp, 81, shared a picture of herself and her two daughters at the 1977 Silver Jubilee on the road on the Whatsapp group.
“It was a chilly day. I was 35 at the time and there with my daughters, Lisa and Jacqueline,” she said.
Having lost her husband, Edward, nearly 30 years ago, Mrs Kemps knows better than most the importance of living in a close-knit community where they look after each other.
“My hips are playing up, so I know how the Queen feels when it comes to mobility,” she said, venturing slowly from her home to look at children making soldiers from the Queen’s Guards out of loo rolls and black felt.
“It’s just like 1977. Although, we didn’t have anything as exciting as a bouncy castle back then.
“Things haven’t changed that much, the Queen did a great job then and is doing a great job now.”
For Christine Harris, Bromley’s deputy mayor, the street party was the first of 13 official visits that day.
“Ever since 1952, the Queen has repeatedly lifted the spirits of the nation,” she said.
“She has been so strong, brave and dedicated to the British people for so long.
“It’s right that we celebrate that. And, it’s important our children know how lucky they are to have a monarch like the Queen”
In total, Councillor Harris and Mayor Hannah Gray will visit 97 events over the three days in the Bromley borough.
“I got in the car at noon and won’t be home until 11pm on Sunday,” the deputy mayor added.
For Dave and Helen Littley the Jubilee is the perfect opportunity for them to see their children and grandchildren.
“It’s a once-in-a lifetime event. Who can say they will have had a monarch for 70 years?” asked Mrs Littley.
Her husband added: “It’s also a very good excuse for a good booze-up, let’s be honest.”
‘It’s just like 1977. Although, we didn’t have anything as exciting as a bouncy castle back then’