PURFLEET-on-Thames Community Forum has announced plans to light a Beacon for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on the evening of Thursday, June 2, 2022.
The Beacon is one of thousands being lit in the UK and the Commonwealth, and forms part of the official programme announced by Buckingham Palace for the Jubilee Weekend.
The Beacon will be lit at the Purfleet-on-Thames Beacon. RM19 1QA, and it will be one of over 2,022 lit by charities, communities and faith groups all over the UK.
In addition, beacons will be lit in all 54 Commonwealth capitals and the Principal Beacon lighting will take place in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening. This will take the form of a lighting installation with The Queen’s Green Canopy ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture and projections onto the front of Buckingham Palace. This innovative new way of taking part in the beacon lighting will reflect the Royal Family’s long history championing environmental causes.
Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR, Pageantmaster of The Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Beacons said; ” Building on a long tradition of lighting beacons to mark significant royal celebrations, thousands of beacons will be lit across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth They will enable local communities to join together to pay tribute to Her Majesty as part of the official programme of events.
” For the first time, town criers, pipers, bugler & cornet players and choirs from the UK and the Commonwealth will come together to join in the celebrations in their own individual and special way. It is wonderful to see the range of support for beacon lighting, which will highlight both the diversity and unity of the nation and the Commonwealth. The Queen has lit up our lives for 70 years through her dedicated service and commitment. We would like to light up the nation and the Commonwealth in her honour.”
Trevor Batchelor from Purfleet-on-Thames Community Forum said; ” We are proud to be part of this momentous celebration. It is only appropriate that this unique milestone in history is marked with beacons and music. We are honoured to be part of this special event for Her Majesty, The Queen’s 70th year as our Monarch and Head of the Commonwealth on her Platinum Jubilee.”.
This will be the biggest open air event in Purfleet-on-Thames for over 100 years, in fact since Winston Churchill banned the Purfleet Fair by an Act of Parliament in 1910. It is our chance to give back to the community after the long periods of isolation for many during lockdown. This will do for Purfleet-on-Thames what the Festival of Britain did in 1951.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons and Associated Activities have been conceived and organised by Pageantmaster Bruno Peek and his dedicated team.
Timeline for many Beacons lightings, although events might change at individual locations
· At 2pm hundreds of town criers and 50 Pearly Kings and Queens will announce a specially-written Proclamation heralding the lighting of the beacons later that day.
· At 9.35pm local time across the UK and Commonwealth, traditional and Northumbrian pipers and pipe bands will play Diu Regnare, a unique tune specially written for the occasion by Piper Major, Stuart Liddell, the world’s leading piper.
· At 9.40pm buglers and cornet players linked to local beacon lightings across the UK and the capital cities of the Commonwealth will officially announce the lighting of the beacons with a specially written bugle call, entitled Majesty.
· Then at 9.45pm exactly local time, and to coincide with the lighting of the beacons, community choirs and bands across all nations will sing or play Song for the Commonwealth, which has been written and composed by Lucy Keily, from Australia and Vincent Atueyi Chinemelu from Nigeria.
After the beacon lighting there will be a spectacular 10 minute riverside firework display.
