Wallingford's Platinum Jubilee celebration plans

The town council has organised a variety of events for the community next week, most of which will be free to attend.

Town councillor Ros Lester said it had been "amazing" to organise the event, saying she had received a lot of support from the public and shopkeepers.

READ MORE: You might have spotted the Queen's bakers on telly - and she's from Oxfordshire!

Cut-out corgis will be hidden around the town

The town is already decorated with red, white and blue bunting ahead of the long weekend, which runs from next Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5. And many traders have decorated their shop windows to mark the occasion.

Special commemorative coins have been bought by the town council to give out at schools for free.

The coins, which cost £3,000 and read “The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee” with an engraving of Buckingham Palace, is so children have something to remember the event.

An exhibition by photographer David Beasley will kick off the programme of events at the Town Hall. It will include a collection of pictures called 70 Years of Wallingford on display from 10.30am-3pm daily.

On the Friday, The Corn Exchange will be playing a documentary about the Queen's life, telling the story of her record breaking 70-year reign. The film, Elizabeth A Portrait in Parts, will be screened at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Special coin ordered for primary school pupils

Wallingford Sports Park will also host a day of sports on the Friday, off Hithercroft Road. Activities, to take place from from 2-10pm, include walking hockey, tennis, skittles and rounders along with a barbecue and open bar.

READ MORE: AMAZING Jubilee window decorations spotted in Wallingford

The weekend winds up on the Sunday, starting with a picnic from 11.30am-3.30pm in the Castle Gardens. People are encouraged to bring their own blankets and food.

There will be live music from Wallingford School Band, Laura Lee and Choir, and the Tuneless Choir as well as donkeys from Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary and a children's craft tent.

Lifesize cardboard corgis will be left around the town for children to find, with eight in the Castle Gardens. There will be prizes for children.

At 9pm, an illuminated flotilla of decorated boats will sail from the Ring Road Bridge, down the river to Wallingford Bridge.

Will you be able to find all the corgis?

The weekend will close with a bang at 10pm on Sunday with a firework display.

Mrs Lester said: "It's going to be the biggest thing we've done since Covid restrictions ended. It will be a real community get together.

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"It will commemorate 70 glorious years of the Queen and a way of saying thank you to her. When will we ever see a Platinum Jubilee again?

"It all adds to children's memories and will to help them remember this time... and get past Covid."

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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