Parishes celebrate the Jubilee
11th May 2022
![]() Celebrations, big and small have been planned, bunting bought, invitations sent out and cake making is being prepared as Bath and Wells communities come together to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's 70 years of service.
In Stogumber they have covered St Mary’s church tower with a beautiful floral cascade of more than 2,000 handmade flowers. For almost a year local volunteers have been knitting, crocheting, and sewing the flowers to add to the rainbow of colour. A flower festival is planned in St Mary’s for Jubilee week. Watch as the cascade is hoisted to the top of the church tower with the help of voluteers and the local firebrigade, the whole thing was filmed by BBC Somerset.
Across the diocese many more celebrations of all kinds are taking place.
Platinum Jubilee Evening Prayer The children of the Abbey’s youngest choir, Melody Makers, will be singing at Evening Prayer on the 2 June at 5.30pm, to give prayerful and joyful thanks for the faithfulness and faith of The Queen. On Friday 3 June a band of bellringers will attempt to ring the Abbey bells to a full peal of more than 5,000 changes of Cambridge Surprise Royal. This will begin at 12noon and, if successful, will last approximately three and a half hours." Matthew Butler, Tower Master. Tours: From Coronation to Queen Jubilee Tours Thurs 2 – Sat 4 June. An Exhibition in the South Transept will bring together precious documents and objects from our Archive that tell the stories of our royal visits and special occasions in the twentieth century, from Queen Victoria to our present Queen. St Petrock’s in Timberscombe, deep in the heart of Exmoor, is planning a three day open Village and Church Heritage Exhibition on 2-3 June, and again on Monday 6 June. Ancient church registers, complete from 1656 along with many other historic church documents, churchwarden accounts and faculty papers held by the Somerset Heritage Centre will be among the things on display. Alongside these will be extracts from the History Group which is based in the church. Pupils from the local school will be guided through the displays and their Platinum Jubilee creative work will be exhibited in the church alongside a display of village royal memorabilia gathered for the event.
There is a long and unbroken tradition of celebrating Royal Jubilees, Weddings and Coronations with the lighting of beacons. In 1897, beacons were lit to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. In 1977, 2002 and 2012, beacons commemorated the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. On 2 June this year more than 2,022 beacons will be lit throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories, and one in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth. In Masbury Ring, Somerset the tradition continues with a Beacon Bonfire which will be one of the more than 2,000. The beacon will be lit as the sun is setting and those enjoying the spectacle will be able to celebrate with a picnic at the site.
These are just a selection of celebrations planned by our parishes:
These are a few celebrations we know of, but why not tell us what your church community has planned. Email the Comms Team.
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