Queen's diamond jubilee tribute - Mayor backs call for entries

The Mayor of the Royal Borough, Cllr Catherine Bursnall, has called on local residents, schools and organisations to come forward with ideas for a lasting Windsor town centre tribute to the Queen as part of her diamond jubilee celebrations in 2012.

Cllr Bursnall is supporting Windsor and Eton Society's plan to erect a permanent memorial to the Queen's 60 years as monarch and she has reminded everyone that the closing date is at the end of December (February for schools).

She said: "The Queen has been unstinting in her service to our country and this competition is a great opportunity for Windsor to pay its own very personal tribute.

"I am delighted that the Windsor and Eton Society is co-ordinating the search for a suitable idea and I know that more than 20 entries have already been received. However, there is still plenty of time to enter and I hope that the next few weeks will see even more suggestions coming in. This is a really exciting competition and I am looking forward to meeting the winner at a special Mayoral reception in the not too distant future."

The competition is open to all residents, schools and organisations. Ideas should be linked to Windsor - but since the town already has a jubilee statue of Queen Victoria and a fountain celebrating the House of Windsor, the organisers are looking for new and innovative ideas.

Andrew Melville, competition-co-ordinator, said: "We are searching for something different and distinctive that reflects the current age but also respects the town's heritage and connections with the Queen. It's a tough challenge but we have been impressed by the standard of entries so far and are looking forward to many more in the weeks ahead."

Funding for the jubilee tribute will be through public subscription and the Windsor and Eton Society has launched an appeal for local and corporate sponsors.

Mr Melville added: "We believe the jubilee memorial should be a community initiative that brings together both individual residents and the many businesses located in the Windsor area. Funding will depend on community and business support and we have already seen an encouraging level of interest, which reflects the popularity of the Queen and the love and respect people have for her and her work."

Entry forms are available from outlets across the borough, including council offices and main libraries or to download from www.diamond-jubilee.org.uk

After the closing date of Friday 31 December (Sunday 20 February for schools) the best ten entries will be selected and then the winner and two runners-up decided. The winner will be announced at the Mayor's reception towards the end of March.

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