The Queen’s birthday celebrations in East Cambridgeshire

The Queen’s birthday celebrations in East Cambridgeshire

Next week the nation will honour the Queen’s 90th birthday with celebrations around the country and East Cambridgeshire District Council will join in with its own special events.

Burwell has been chosen as the site in East Cambridgeshire for the lighting of the Queen’s birthday beacon, a series of which are being lit around the UK to commemorate her birthday.

The Queen will light the first of more than 1000 beacons across the country to mark her birthday. Castle Mound at Burwell will host the District Council’s beacon.

As the beacon lighting will be taking place in Burwell, children at Burwell Village College Primary School will also be joining in with wishing Her Majesty a happy 90th birthday by entering a competition to create the best birthday card. Judges will present the winners with a special certificate.

Head teacher Nicholas Smith said: “We are delighted to be taking part in the celebration with this competition and wish Her Majesty a very happy 90th birthday.”

The beacon ceremony will take place at 8.30pm on Castle Mound in Burwell on Thursday, April 21. This is part of a long tradition in the UK of celebrating Royal jubilees, weddings, coronations and special birthdays with the lighting of beacons – on top of mountains, churches and castle battlements, on town and village greens, farms, country parks and estates and along beaches.

The last major beacon celebration was on Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 4th June 2012.

Timings for the two events are as follows:

Beacon lighting

7.30pm to 8.00pm. – The church bells will ring at St Mary’s in Burwell will ring

8.00 p.m. – Burwell Community Choir sings in car park of the Guildhall

8.20 p.m. – A Cllr Michael Allan, Chairman of ECDC, reads the message from H.R.H. Prince of Wales

8.28 p.m. – All sing Happy Birthday Your Majesty

8.30 pm – Chairman of Parish Council and Chairman of ECDC light the beacon

8.30 p.m. – Church Bells ring.

Prizes awarded for the best birthday card 

Prizes will be awarded at 2.45pm on Monday, 18 April in the school assembly at Burwell Village College Primary School. Judging will be carried out by Mr Nicholas Smith, Headmaster, Mrs Elizabeth Brunton Chairman of Friends of the School and a council representative.