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This week's four-day bank holiday weekend, from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June, marks 70 years since The Queen came to the throne.
Cllr Steve Bridger, Leader of North Somerset Council, said: “From beacons being lit at Portishead, Long Ashton and Uphill, to street parties and community events in towns and villages all over North Somerset, I’m really pleased to see so many of our communities and neighbourhoods coming together to mark this impressive milestone.
“Most importantly, it’s a wonderful opportunity for us all to reconnect with each other and see friends and neighbours we may not have had the chance to spend time with over the past two difficult years.
“I’d also like to recognise all the small, imaginative ways individuals, groups, businesses and charities across the district are supporting the Jubilee. I’ve been particularly struck by the jubilee-themed knits on Clevedon seafront, planters decked with flowers and ribbons, pictures created by local school children and all the shop window bunting and displays.”
A number of road closures will be in place in different towns and villages for residents to hold street parties. These can be viewed on the council’s roadworks map at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/roadworks. Change the date range to ‘next two weeks’ and look for the icons of The Queen to see where the closures are.
Cllr Bridger added: “If you’re organising a street party or a picnic, please do try to make it zero waste. Recycle as much as you can afterwards and think about what supplies you’ll actually need beforehand. For example, you could avoid single use plastic by asking people to bring their own plates and cutlery, or by borrowing extra from friends and neighbours.
“Recycling and waste collections will continue as normal during the bank holidays. Please remember to wash, squash and sort your recycling to help our crews. It takes two minutes to empty a jumbled recycling box and just 20 seconds if it’s well sorted. The crews collect thousands of boxes a day so this makes a big difference.”
Jubilee Bunting will be going up at many North Somerset libraries. More than 500 flags have been made by volunteers and library members thanks to a project led by Create Together, a community-based arts for health practice. Many of the flags record memories from the past 70 years and the bunting will decorate the libraries throughout the Jubilee week and beyond.
And earlier this year the council planted an oak tree in Ashcombe Park in Weston-super-Mare as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy project which invites organisations and individuals across the country to "plant a tree for the jubilee".
Communities can still get involved with The Queen’s Green Canopy scheme and there will be another opportunity to plant trees this autumn. More information is available at https://queensgreencanopy.org/.
Links to celebrations and events happening across North Somerset can be found at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/platinumjubilee.
The photos show some of the bunting which will going up at North Somerset libraries.
