A Royal Knees Up!
17th June 2016
In April 2016 The Queen turned 90 and is now, perhaps, the most famous nonagenarian in the world. However, Saturday 11th June was the date of this year’s Trooping of the Colour and represented the official annual celebration of Her Majesty’s birthday.
Consequently, events and activities were held over the weekend to commemorate the occasion across the length and breadth of the UK.
Plenty of Regal Revelry
Garden Square Shopping Centre in Letchworth hosted a day of regal revelry on Saturday which incorporated plenty of free royal-themed entertainment. This included a Jubilant Jewels Craft Workshop where little princes and princesses could make crowns and tiaras using paints, glitter and gems.
All materials were provided on the day and instruction and guidance were given from supervisors. Over 200 children took part with some royally good headwear being created.
Visitors to the Square could also pose for photos on a luxurious throne next to a life-size cut out of The Queen. Over 100 pictures were taken and these Sovereign Selfies have now been uploaded to the shopping centre’s Facebook page where followers are currently voting for their favourite.
The owner of the picture with the most likes will bag £90 to spend at the Square. The competition closes on Friday but has already reached over 15,000 people!
Generosity is the virtue of all royals, so a number of activities took place during the event to raise monies for Garden House Hospice Care – Garden Square’s nominated charity.
A charity raffle gave shoppers the chance to win a prize every 90 minutes on the day, prizes included designer glasses from Specsavers, a Wildwood restaurant voucher and tickets for the Letchworth Waterslide.
There was also a Royal Street Party where families could buy tea and cakes with all proceeds going to Garden House Hospice Care. In total, a fantastic £547.67 was raised for the charity.
A Huge Success!
Overall, Garden Square’s royal birthday celebration was a huge success. Katy Terry, Corporate Fundraiser for Garden House Hospice Care, said: “We had a fab time at the event on Saturday and thanks to everyone for the opportunity to get involved. An amazing £547.67 was raised on the day and this will ensure we can continue to care for local patients and their families who are facing life-limiting illness. A few highlights for me during the event were working with such an enthusiastic and helpful bunch of people, the enthusiasm, passion and creativity of our wonderful volunteers – and of course, making my own tiara!”
“Our Queen’s 90th Birthday event was a fantastic occasion and provided the perfect opportunity for Letchworth residents to come together to celebrate the 90 years of our reigning monarch. We’d like to thank everyone who participated and contributed to such a successful day.”Jack Philbin, Manager of Garden Square Shopping Centre
To see all the photos from our event please visit our Facebook page!
