Another great day celebrating The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee across the Forest of Dean.
Today I attended the Jubilee celebrations near Ruardean Woodside for something a bit special. To mark The Queen’s seventy years of service, we congregated in two groups, one at Ruardean Woodside and one on The Pludds, and revived the historic practice of singing to each other across Newham Bottom. The singing opened with Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow”, then onto “If you’re happy and you know it” and finished with the slightly more traditional “Land of Hope and Glory” and the national anthem. You should be able to watch the occasion on tonight’s Points West on BBC One.
Afterwards, I was invited to plant a tree outside The Pludds and District Village Hall. The Wild Cherry will act as a long-lasting reminder of the Platinum Jubilee and the nature of The Queen’s service during her long reign. I was honoured to have been asked and look forward to watching it grow in the years to come.
Once the planting had finished, the village hall had put on a number of attractions for those attending to enjoy, including a collection of vintage cars and trucks. There were plenty of cakes on sale, all suitably decorated in royal trappings.
I then visited the Jubilee event at the The Speech House HotelThe Speech House Hotel. The sun was shining, and it was wonderful to see thousands of people were attending this great event. They had craft stalls, face painting, a dog show, bouncy castles, and many local food providers as well as music by Lydbrook band. Months of planning and organising had gone into this event and it was clear that it had really paid off. The Speech House Hotel is a fantastic venue and a real asset to the Forest of Dean.
It is clear to see, from the bunting, the festivities and the celebration that the Forest of Dean has embraced the Platinum Jubilee. I would like to offer my thanks to the many people who have given so much of their time to ensure that events could be held across the constituency. Thank you.
