Thousands set to celebrate Queen's Platinum Jubilee at events supported by Hackney Council
Thousands of Hackney residents are set to come together to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next month at community events supported by Hackney Council.
The Council received a record number of applications for up to £500 Big Lunch funding this year, with residents seeking to bring people from their local area together to mark Her Majesty’s 70 year reign.
More than 30 Big Jubilee Lunch events are being supported by the Council over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June.
The events - which will all be inclusive, accessible and benefiting all local residents - will include barbecues, picnics and celebration meals. At all events residents are being encouraged to bring a dish to share if they can.
Entertainment will range from a fun dance workshop at the intergenerational event at Trowbridge Seniors Club, to live music and bouncy castles on several estates including Wenlock Barn, and a dog show at Albion Drive.
The Big Jubilee Lunches are being organised by groups of local residents, Tenant Management Organisations, and Tenant and Resident Associations. They are part of the National Big Lunch initiative - designed to celebrate connections across local communities and help people get to know one another a little bit better. Where there are no registered residents groups, the Council’s Resident Participation team is working with residents to organise and deliver events.
The lunches will support the wide range of local and national events being staged to commemorate 70 years since Her Majesty came to the throne. This includes a big event organised by the Council in Springfield Park over the Bank Holiday weekend as well, which will see a host of activities for people of all ages including costume making, interactive music workshops, performances and history walks.
I am delighted that so many of our local communities are coming together to mark what is an unprecedented anniversary.
We pride ourselves on being an inclusive borough and this is just further evidence of the community spirit we have in Hackney. These events, as they have done for over 70 years since the Coronation, are about bringing people together and this year they have the added attraction of celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. It will also for some be the first chance in two years to organise an event and come together in our communities.
I hope everyone taking part in one of the Big Jubilee Lunches or any of the other local or national events marking this historic occasion enjoys themselves and helps mark Her Majesty’s 70 years of service in style.
The amount of applications for Big Lunch funding we received this year shows the fondness our residents have for Her Majesty and the dedication and service she has provided this country over the last 70 years.
All of our estates were invited to apply and this year we had double the number of requests for Big Lunch funding compared to normal. Schemes like this help bring our communities closer together which is great for residents in that area and Hackney as a whole.
I am sure all of the Big Jubilee Lunches will be a fantastic success and deliver memories for a long time to come.
As a result of the Big Lunch events residents are being advised that some roads across the borough will be closed at various times over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Details of the range of funding available through the Council to help communities on Hackney Council estates come together throughout the year can be found here