Right royal celebrations of the Queen’s 90th birthday broke out across the St Albans district at the weekend as numerous street parties were held together with themed fetes and festivals.
Most of the street parties were held on Sunday - and did not let the rainy weather deter residents from laying on events for all including face painting for the children, barbecues, bunting and a chance to dress up in red, white and blue.
At Broomfield in How Wood, neighbours came together to share a Big Lunch and moved the party to a covered shelter in the garden of a neighbour with the food laid out on tables in a garage.
Twelve-year-old Charlotte Coogan had made and decorated a 90th birthday cake with her grandmother to mark the occasion.
Residents of Charmouth Road and Charmouth Court in St Albans took over the green near their homes to hold their street party while in Rosebery Avenue, Harpenden, both adults and children danced around a maypole. Ramsbury Road in St Albans was closed to traffic for residents to enjoy an afternoon tea of scones and cream.
The Fleetville Swing Band provided entertainment at the street party held at Beaumont Avenue, St Albans, and although the police arrived, it was all in good fun to give children the chance to see round their van.
Musical entertainment was provided in Cowper Road, Harpenden, from the Cowper and Overstone Road Street Party Singers, formed from residents of the two roads and a few near neighbours.
There was face painting, chalking, scooting - and plenty of puddles to jump into -for the children, the youngest of whom was only five weeks old.
Numerous other roads across the entire district held parties on Sunday while in Wheathampstead, the village preservation society organised a celebratory event by the river at the Meads and laid on activities for the whole community - with a strong emphasis on teddy bears.
Among the activities was a teddy bears’ picnic, a competition for the best-dressed royal teddy, a teddy tombola and a children’s treasure hunt. Free royal ice cream sundaes were dished out to all and a giant birthday cake was cut by two local people in their 90s, Nonwy Maw and Albert Gudgin.
Despite the weather, the event attracted 500 people and Julie Bell, chair of the Wheathampstead & District Preservation Society, commented: “This has been a fabulous event. The whole community pulled together to help with the organisation and we all made lots of new friends as a result.”
New Mayor of St Albans, Cllr Frances Leonard, opened the summer fete and Queen’s birthday celebrations at St Leonard’s Church, Sandridge, on Sunday where there were outdoor crafts, a barbecue, games, stalls and a disply by local scouts.
The popular Sandridge knitted village, created by a dedicated team of local knitters, was complete with a knitted Queen and Prince Philip as well as royal bunting.,
Kimpton primary school, which is situated near to the Queen Mother’s childhood home of St Paul’s Walden, had spent months preparing its Right Royal Picnic on Sunday and was well prepared for the weather - marquees were put up in the rain during the morning.
The party was opened by head teacher Tracy Clements helped by the 2016 Kimpton May Queen Charlotte Corcoran and her attendants Poppy Grovestock and Emma Lale.
There was live music from the Kimpton Primary School Orchestra comprising teachers Helen McPhun and Mandy Britton, as well as a teddy bears picnic, croquet and a Hope and Glory cream tea marquee.
The party raised over £400 for Kimpton charities.
St Albans High School Prep School held a celebratory garden party last Friday for which all the children, aged seven to 11, worked in groups to create games and activities. As a result, they included Guess the Age of the Queen (in photos), Hook the Corgi and Decorate the Crown along with welly wanging, croquet and much more.
Nearly 200 parents and siblings joined in the celebrations and facts about the Queen were read out before a birthday cake was cut.
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