CASTLE TO BE SET ALIGHT!
SCARBOROUGH Castle could be ‘set on fire’ to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee.
Lasers would project enormous flames on to the castle walls as part of the town’s celebrations on June 4.
Talks are under way between the council and English Heritage to stage the light show after plans to light the beacon at the castle were scrapped. It was initially hoped that the beacon would be one of 2,012 lit across the country as part of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 60-year reign.
However, Scarborough Castle site manager Peter Bleach said the castle had been forced to look at alternatives after they had to shelve the idea due to safety concerns.
He said: “If anything happened that night with the beacon, the fire brigade wouldn’t be able to get up to Scarborough Castle in time.
“However, the main problem was that if we did light it, the only people who were going to benefit from it would have been a couple of blokes two miles out at sea.
“The beacon is no bigger than the ones night watchmen would have stood next to. It’s no good if
people can’t see it, that’s why we’re looking at other options, as there’s no way Scarborough is going to be the only town not a part of this.”
Although plans are still very much at an early stage, the display would see flames engulf the castle. As the flames subsided, images of the Queen would then be projected from the historic landmark.
If plans for the laser show are approved, Mr Bleach added that the only thing that could put a dampener on the evening would be the weather.
“Beforehand with the beacon, if we had any kind of high wind or if it rained, then there would have been no chance of the beacon lighting. Now the only thing that could stop it would be if there was fog!”
Council officials will be hoping that the proposed laser extravaganza will be one of several celebratory events over the course of the day. Officers from the council have been working with communities to encourage them to hold street parties in an attempt to replicate the mood of the silver jubilee in 1977, when communities came out in force to celebrate the milestone.