Girlguiding members on the Isle of Wight will join hundreds of other Girlguiding members across the UK in lighting beacons to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Thursday 2nd June.
These beacon lighting events will be held in selected areas across the country, with the Island chosen to host one. Some events, including here on the Isle of Wight, will be exclusive to Girlguiding members and will see girls/leaders from the local community come together to enjoy a special evening of Jubilee celebrations.
Other events in the UK will start off in the early evening with treasure hunts or with attendees having the opportunity to create their very own Jubilee crown. Whilst more will enjoy a royal BBQ banquet before the beacon lighting. Plans for the Island event are underway and all members eligible to attend will receive an invitation.
Some 1,500 Platinum Jubilee Beacons are set to be lit across the UK and the Commonwealth, with a principal beacon to be lit at Buckingham Palace.
Anne Watson Girlguiding leader in the West Wight, says:
“We’re all really looking forward to coming together with fellow Girlguiding members to be a part of the upcoming Jubilee beacon celebrations. The Queen has a long history with Girlguiding – as a Guide herself and as our Patron, making this historic celebration feel that extra bit special.”
Girlguiding is offering lots of ways for its members to join in the fun and celebrate the special occasion. Many on the Island have already been involved in the first wave of tree planting as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. The charity has a number of specially created Jubilee activities girls can do in their unit meetings, including building an edible campfire for Rainbows, a crown challenge for Brownies, a Buckingham Palace obstacle course for Guides and a one match beacon challenge for Rangers.
Girlguiding and Scouts joined forces to create a specially designed woven commemorative badge – boasting 7 sides to represent the 7 decades of the Queen’s reign and 70 dots in Girlguiding’s iconic blue and Scout’s purple to represent the linked history of the two organisations. The badge also features the Queen’s official Jubilee emblem, the Girlguiding trefoil and Scouts’ fleur de lis.
In addition, the charity has launched a metal commemorative pin badge featuring seven diamonds alongside 63 individual spokes to represent the Queen’s time on the throne
The Queen has a long-standing personal history with Girlguiding first joining as a Guide in 1937, at 11-years-old alongside her 7-year-old sister, Princess Margaret as a Brownie.
Lighting beacons isn’t exactly green is it!