A WEEKEND of spectacular events in Lyme Regis will mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June.
Plans are coming together for an exciting programme of music, entertainment and community celebration to honour The Queen’s 70 years of service to the country and Commonwealth.
Over the weekend of 2 to 5 June, Lyme Regis will join the nation in marking the historic occasion, with a big finale event on Sunday 5 June.
The events are being hosted by Lyme Regis Town Council, in partnership with Lyme Regis Regatta and Carnival Committee, Jazz Jurassica and the Marine Theatre.
The celebrations begin on Thursday 2 June with a torchlight procession, when the glow of more than 300 blazing torches will illuminate the Langmoor and Lister Gardens as the sun sets.
Led by the mayor and the town crier, the procession will move through the seafront gardens and onto the beach to make a spectacular ring of fire.
As darkness falls, the mayor will be escorted to the harbour’s north wall to set the town’s beacon ablaze.
Entertainment will come across the weekend from Jazz Jurassica, which opens on Thursday 2 June and features performances at the Marine Theatre and free open-air concerts on the seafront.
Sunday 5 June is the main event of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, starting with the Jubilee Picnic in the seafront gardens in the late afternoon.
The public are invited to bring their own picnics to enjoy with a view of Lyme Bay, while being entertained by local performers on the seafront rooftop.
Music will come from the talented young musicians of B Sharp and the traditional brass strains of Lyme Regis Town Band, as well as dancing from Lyme Morris.
As evening falls, all attention will turn to the main stage on the beach, where the spectacular BBC Big Band will perform.
The orchestra comprises of 18 or more musicians, including a full brass section and vocalists, in full black tie, playing a wide repertoire of genres, from rat pack, to swing and Last Night at the Proms.
There will of course be some rousing British songs to celebrate the occasion, including the National Anthem to close the evening.
Following the BBC Big Band’s performance, a magnificent fireworks’ display over the Cobb will round off the weekend’s celebrations with a bang.
Cllr David Sarson, chairman of the council’s Queen’s Platinum Jubilee working group, said: “This is set to be a truly spectacular weekend of celebrations in Lyme Regis.
“We believe the events will be a fitting way to mark this historic occasion and honour the remarkable service The Queen has given to this country.
“Earlier in the year the town council planted more than 70 new trees in Lyme Regis in a scheme called the Queen’s Green Canopy. Those trees will create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the nation, which will benefit future generations.
“We hope the celebrations on the weekend of 2 to 5 June will also be remembered for many years to come and provide lasting memories of this once-in-a-lifetime occasion for Britain’s longest reigning Monarch."
More details about the events are available on the town council Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lymeregistowncouncil or at https://www.visit-dorset.com/lyme-regis/whats-on/