Northumberland County Council free up £70,000 for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Northumberland County Council has allocated a £70,000 grant to be put towards celebrations of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next year.

The council hopes the money will help communties celebrate the historic occasion as the Queen becomes the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.

Communities across Northumberland are being encouraged to get creative and host their own celebrations.

The £70,000 grant set aside by the council will be accessible to communities with celebratory plans that require funding.

More criteria and details of how to apply are set to be released in due course.

The council will also employ a temporary event co-ordinator to support communities with their events.

Nationally the Jubilee will be marked with a long weekend from June 2 to June 5 2022, thanks to an additional bank holiday.

As part of the celebration, 1,500 Platinum Jubilee Beacons will also be lit across the country, alongside one in each capital of the Commonwealth.

Cllr Glen Sanderson, Leader of Northumberland County Council said: “Her Majesty, The Queen is a true inspiration to us all.

"Her achievements and strength throughout her 70-year reign are something which we can all celebrate.

"At a time when things have been difficult for us all, I hope that The Queen’s Jubilee will be an opportunity for communities to come together and mark this historic occasion.”

Cabinet member for culture, Cllr Jeff Watson, said: “We want to bring back the spirit of The Queen’s coronation when communities celebrated together with street parties and community events.

"We would encourage all our communities to start thinking about what type of events they could host so we can showcase Northumberland to the world.”