On Sunday 2nd June we had a special service at St. Nicholas to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. At the service we dedicated 60 new hassocks, which had been sponsored and worked on by many people in the village, as our Jubilee project, co-ordinated by Kathleen Hewlett. We were honoured to welcome the Mayor of Test Valley, Councillor Tony Gentle, with his wife, Mrs Rita Gentle, also Councillor Jim Neal with Mrs Maria Neal, and some of our Parish Councillors. It was a good start to our village Jubilee celebrations.

An idea at a finance committee meeting last December was the start of a wonderful community event. Sunday June 2nd was the date chosen by the Parish Council to invite the village to come together to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. On that cold December day no one could have foreseen the weather that was in store for us on the 2nd June.

Thankfully the day was dry and warm. Villagers and friends turned up to the Cricket Field early in the afternoon to set up their tables and gazebos; one group even had a cocktail bar. The crown making was well received by younger children. It was lovely to see how the creations developed, sometimes with a little help from older friends. The races were fun and many children won jubilee medals for their efforts. The highlight of the afternoon for many was the splendid tea prepared by Jo Clear and her helpers. It was a spread worthy of the occasion and fit for a queen.

evening over two hundred and thirty adults and sixty children gathered to enjoy a BBQ. The cooking team was headed by Jeremy Barber and ably assisted by Nick Jolliffe, Martin Hulme and Will House. There was sufficient steak, onions, salad, sausages and potatoes for everyone to have a good supper. Special thanks must be included here to the parishioner who donated such succulent rib eye steaks for us all to enjoy. Our thanks also go to Vitacress Ltd who donated the salad. English strawberries with cream and a variety of desserts followed the main course. By the time the meal was coming to an end the band, Blow the House Down, was in full swing and people were ready to rock.

The Jubilee Committee would like to say a big thank you to everyone who worked so hard in many different ways to make the day so memorable and successful and to the many parishioners who have written, emailed and phoned to say how much they appreciated the event. If you'd like to see the photos please look at the village website www.longparish.org.uk.

Gloria Goodliffe

(The editor, on behalf of all those who attended, would like to thank Gloria and her team and the generous donors for a splendid day.)

There are still a number of Longparish Jubilee mugs that have not yet been claimed. If you are a resident of Longparish your child can have a free mug if he or she is under 11. If your child is at secondary school, a £2 donation will secure a mug. Mugs can be claimed from Gloria Goodliffe at Meadow View, Southside Road. Any mugs remaining by fete day will be available, subject to a donation, on a first come, first served basis.

THE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY Donations for the Children's Society from collecting boxes in Hurstbourne Priors and Longparish raised £79.46 during the past year. The Society is very grateful for the support it receives from our parishes. Thank you to everyone taking boxes again this year. If you do not already have a box and are willing to have one, please contact me. We need to continue with all the help we can give. Daphne Bevan 01264 720412