In honour of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, there will be commemorative events throughout the year and a special four-day Bank Holiday Weekend from Thursday, June 2nd to Sunday, June 5th.
This will be the first time a monarch has reached 70 years of service to the throne. Individuals, communities and organisations across the country now have the perfect opportunity to come together and celebrate while improving the environment.
This Jubilee year, Rotary is delighted to be supporting Thank You Day, the Jubilee Beacons campaign and The Queen’s Green Canopy – all campaigns which anyone can take part in.
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On Thursday, June 2nd, the first day of this special Bank Holiday Weekend, a plan is in place for Rotary clubs around the world to join together in a chain of beacons!
It has long been a tradition in this country to celebrate Royal Jubilees by lighting beacons – whether that be on mountains and cliff tops, church and cathedral towers, parks and farms or town and village greens.
Beacons were lit all the way back in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and the tradition has since continued in stunning fashion during The Queen’s Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.
More than 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the British isles, enabling local communities, individuals and organisations to pay tribute to the queen’s 70 years of service.”
On the evening of June 2nd, there will be thousands of beacons being lit throughout the UK in celebration of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and we want to encourage your Rotary club or district to take part.
More than 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the British Isles, enabling local communities, individuals and organisations to pay tribute to The Queen’s 70 years of service.
It won’t just be in the UK that beacons will be being lit though, as Rotary has arranged for a beacon to be lit in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, the Pacific and more.
A guide of how to organise taking part in the Jubilee Beacons, what kind of beacons you can buy and health and safety rules can be found for anyone’s use here.
The Platinum Jubilee doesn’t just give Rotarians the chance to come together and celebrate but also to improve the environment for future generations, as is the case with The Queen’s Green Canopy.
This tree-planting campaign takes place across 2022 so individuals, groups, organisations and communities alike can take part when it is most convenient to arrange.
The Queen’s Green Canopy looks to create a positive legacy from The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with the initiative aligned to Rotary’s new Area of Focus of Protecting The Environment.
“London, United Kingdom – June, 5th 2012: Six horses with riders in full ceremonial uniform pull the Queen’s 1902 Landau along Parliament street in front of cheering crowds at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee State procession.”
The Queen’s Green Canopy is also dedicating a network of 70 Ancient Woodlands across the United Kingdom and identifying 70 Ancient Trees to mark Her Majesty’s 70 years of service.
The Woodland Trust (a partner of The Queen’s Green Canopy) is putting on its Free Trees for Schools and Communities Scheme – a fantastic way for communities to get involved with tree planting in 2022.
On the final day of the special Bank Holiday Weekend, Sunday, June 5th, Rotary will be one of the hundreds of organisations supporting Thank You Day – the UK’s biggest thank you party.
Last year, millions got together across the country on Thank You Day to say socially distanced thank yous for the incredible spirit with which we helped each other through the dark days of the pandemic.
On Thank You Day this year, Rotary hopes that all of us will get together with family, friends, neighbours, and in our communities to share a Big Jubilee Lunch together.
Whether it’s sharing a cup of tea with a neighbour on the doorstep or a bigger bash in the street, join millions of people across the UK to share friendship, food and fun.
On the final day of the special Bank Holiday Weekend, Sunday, June 5th, Rotary will be one of the hundreds of organisations supporting Thank You Day – the UK’s biggest thank you party.”
As well as it being a way of thanking the Queen for her selfless dedication to the throne, it will also be a poignant and deserved tribute to the people in our own lives whose support we couldn’t do without.
Amanda Watkin, General Secretary for Rotary Great Britain & Ireland, commented: “We’re so excited to once again be involved in celebrating Thank You Day. At Rotary we love making connections and making a difference, and Thank You Day is an amazing campaign which helps people do exactly that.”
Rotarian Lisa Hunter, who is a member of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary, appeared alongside documentary maker and previous Rotary collaborator Ross Kemp on BBC Breakfast for the launch of Thank You Day to hammer home the importance of the project.
She said: “That’s what the 5th of June will all be about – coming together, celebrating, having fun, saying thank you to the people around us and just taking that time to remember this momentous occasion.”
Rotary encourages clubs and districts to get planning for Thank You Day as early as they can – with tips and a free planning pack available on the thank you day website.
Also, make sure to visit the Rotary web pages for all these events and fill in the form that lets us know which activities you plan on taking part in!
