More than 50 street parties celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee are set to take place in the borough over the extended Bank Holiday weekend.
Residents will be holding parties in their communities, including Ascot, Cookham, Fifield, Holyport, Maidenhead, Sunningdale and Windsor from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June marking her 70 years of service as monarch to the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.
To ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time, the council encouraged anyone wishing to hold a party on the public highway to ensure they applied early for a temporary road closure, allowing almost two months for applications to be made. The council has paid the legal fees for the road closures to enable the parties to take place.
Cookham will host a party in the village’s High Street on Sunday 5 June from midday until 4pm and the event is being organised by residents Adam Garrett and Jayne Milburn.
The road will be decorated with bunting and flags and people are invited to bring picnics. There will be fairground rides, a bandstand and a sing-a-long at the end of the day.
Mr Garrett said: “Cookham has always celebrated the Jubilee. In 2012 Jayne and I organised a street party for the Diamond Jubilee, and in 1977 for the Silver Jubilee there was a massive event in the village. This year we’ve got a great, big party for all to come to, so we’re recreating history.
“What we’re hoping to offer is that sense of community and bringing everybody together again. You might not know the person you’re sitting next to at the start of the day, but you certainly will at the end. I think everybody is looking forward to a fabulous excuse to have a party, and there’s no better reason to do so.
“We’re so close to Windsor, we’re part of the Royal Borough and it’s an amazing opportunity to ensure that the next generation understand how important The Queen was, and is, what a legend she is and how strong she’s been over the last 70 years of her reign.”
Rachael Luke is organising a party in Bourne Avenue, Windsor on Friday 3 June where there will be music, dancing, face-painting, tug-of-war and a cake competition.
She said: “There was a lot of enthusiasm in the road when the idea of a street party was first suggested. I personally wanted to organise it, as I think the past few years have shown us all how important it is to have a strong community around you. We have some wonderful neighbours, but I realised we only knew a fraction of our own street and the Jubilee has provided an opportunity for us to come together and have some fun.
“We're all proud to live in Windsor and it's part of our history. Many of the residents attended and have shared great memories of the last Jubilee street party and we've even been shown a picture of the original Coronation street party in Bourne Avenue, so it's only right that we continue the tradition.”
The Mayor, Councillor John Story, said: “We are enormously proud to have Her Majesty as a resident of the borough and this makes her Platinum Jubilee year all the more special for local residents. This summer’s celebrations, and the street parties planned, will be a chance for communities in our borough to come together, raise a glass in her honour and make memories that I hope will last a lifetime.”
Councillor Samantha Rayner, deputy leader of the council, and cabinet member for corporate and resident services, culture and heritage, and Windsor, said: “It is fantastic to see so many parties set to be held in the borough to honour Her Majesty’s wonderful service to the nation. This is a measure of the high esteem in which she is held by our residents who want to recognise her service with family, friends and neighbours.”
To see the street parties and road closures in the borough, please visit https://one.network/