News

The Queen's Jubilee Celebrations

The village did its bit to try and celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, but for many of the events, the weather was against them. One sure way to keep dry was to choose a venue indoors, and the “Jubilate” was one such event. It was a flower festival which was partly held in the parish church with delightful floral displays, whilst around the village there were “Open gardens,” children’s activities, an art exhibition, plant stalls, refreshments and home-made produce. This event went on for three days and numbers were lower than expected due to the awful weather. In other parts of the village, street parties were held.

On the night of Monday 4th June, Longhope joined in the rest of the country in lighting a Beacon, on May Hill. As we were unable to attend this event, we were sent a very delightful report by a roving villager, and we share it with you. (But remember where you saw it first!):
Although the event was not widely advertised, hundreds of people, young and not so young, children and pets arrived on the summit of May Hill to see the lighting of the Beacon. The weather was perfect and the views all around were truly amazing. There was a little opening ceremony but unfortunately the scribe of this article arrived 30 seconds too late to hear it. The Beacon was lit and everyone cheered. We saw the sun set and then the moon rise. At one point the moon seemed to hang just over the lighted Beacon.

Everyone just stood and watched and sort of waited. Then, without any prompting, everyone sang the National Anthem. It was a moving experience. Wine, chat and laughter filled the sky. There were a few excellent fireworks on the Hill but we were treated to a firework display all around us. We were able to see many lit beacons in every direction.

It was a good meeting place for friends old and new. Many people who made it to the top of the Hill had walked all the way from their homes. Others parked as close as they could to save on the walking. Walking up Hobbs' Lane in the twilight was interesting! Walking all the way home was also interesting but very tiring! It was a truly amazing occasion and something to remember for a very long time.