DIAMOND Jubilee festivities are firmly in place for what promises to be a right royal weekend in Leighton.
With the weather (hopefully) set fair, the four-day long weekend will see a raft of fun-filled activities taking place in the town. Topping the bill on Monday is the town council’s free royal extravaganza in Pages Park Recreation Ground, where residents are invited to come along and join in with the celebrations.
Starting at 11am, activities and entertainment will be provided for all the family including live music, a Punch & Judy show, cricket and parachute games, hook a duck and coconut shy, as well as amusement rides and fancy dress competitions for younger visitors.
Members of the local Women’s Institute are organising baking competitions and eagerly await your Victoria Sandwich, plain scones, jam or chutney.
Judging takes place at 12noon and there are special fairy cake decorating categories for the under 16s.
An open-top double decker bus will be providing a free service picking up at designated bus stops within the town centre.
First bus leaves the mainline railway station in Linslade at 11am for Pages Park and the service will be running approximately every 25 minutes, before the final bus leaves the park at 5pm.
Free visitor parking is available on Pages Field, with signs on the day to direct traffic.
Meanwhile, Fireman Sam will be joining in the party at Leighton Buzzard Railway.
As each steam train pulls into the station, he will come into view, on board a real firefighting train built for a Royal Air Force base over 70 years ago! During the 20-minute stopover, Fireman Sam will meet as many children as possible, before waving the train away when departure time comes. Little Chuffers steam trains will leave from Page’s Park station every 50 minutes from 10.40am to 3.40pm, with Fireman Sam waiting to greet their passengers at the other end of the line.
As a spectacular end to the day, Leighton Linslade Town Council will be streaming live the Jubilee Concert from Buckingham Palace via a big screen in Pages Park.
The action starts 6.30pm and is free but entry is by ticket only (obtained from the town council prior to the event) – refreshments and seating will not be provided so everyone is encouraged to bring a picnic, a rug and a torch.
A number of events have been lined up across the district over the weekend, including street parties in Leighton Buzzard at Church Avenue, Fallowfield, The Lane (between Hunt Hotel & St. Barnabas Church), Waterloo Road, 59-75 Himley Green, Redwood Glade on Sunday, plus Harcourt Close, Hartwell Crescent on the Monday and Hydrus Drive (25/36 to end of cul-de-sac) on the Tuesday.
> Don’t miss next Tuesday’s LBO for a Diamond Jubilee picture special. Our photographers will be out and about across the town, but you can also email pictures to news@lbobserver.co.uk.
