This weekend millions of people around the world will celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Reaching this milestone is nothing short of historic and remarkable. In fact it is so rare that our country has never before seen one – with only three other monarchs in the world ever achieving it.
It is a once in a lifetime spectacle, with pomp and ceremony taking place across the country. It will include the main national events like Trooping of the Colour in London on Thursday, as well as a concert being held outside Buckingham Palace on Saturday.
And right across our borough residents have gone above and beyond to organise events locally this weekend, so that we too can get out there and pay tribute to service that HM The Queen has given to us. Details of events are online and I hope all residents enjoy being able to mark The Queen’s momentous achievement as our first monarch to reach 70 years on the throne.
I have also written to the Queen offering our warmest congratulations, from everyone in the borough, on this achievement and recognising the significant amount of change that has taken place in those seven decades. Change which the Queen has taken in her stride and, in many cases, helped to lead us through in the way that only she can. With grace and subtly.
In those seven decades the Queen has seen our nation rebuilt from the devastation brought by the Second World War; nations go from subjects of an Empire to independence; and technological advances like man reaching the moon, and our whole society moving online.
In Burnley we are lucky to have had the Queen visit on three occasions. In 1955 as part of her tour of the nation as a new Monarch, 1968 when she travelled through Padiham and into Burnley to visit St Peter’s Church and again in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee. It was on this last one where, in a very rare moment, she was joined not only by the late Duke of Edinburgh, but also Prince Charles as they sailed on a canal barge down the Burnley Mile.
During that 2012 visit she also noted in particular the incredible young people we have in the borough, and the work of organisations like The Prince’s Trust. And this is theme that continues for this Jubilee, with a new Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award having been launched to celebrate national charities working to benefit young people.
The Queen. From us all, thank you Ma’am
