We are please to announce that as well as having a great day for the whole village, the organisers raised excess funds and these proceeds, amounting to £763.41 will be donated to the organisers of the annual Pensioners Christmas Party at the Hatton Arms. These parties were started in 1989 by the Gretton Charity Events Fund from the proceeds of the Gretton Horse Race which was held near Kirby Hall.
Did You Know, that Gretton was a one of the communities whose bells in the village church of St James helped celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee with a unique valley long set of peels?
At around 2pm on June 4th 2012, when the Gretton village Jubilee party was in full swing the bells of the Parish church of Saint James joined in with a unique celebratory peel that was echoed by numerous other churches along the length of the scenic Welland Valley in the heart of the East Midlands. Other villages local to Gretton that also took part in the event were Cotingham, Caldecott, Lyddington, Harringworth, Great Easton and Ashley. Starting at 9am, the sixty five mile length of the valley reverberated to the sound of bells from no less than thirty four church towers, each set of chimes to last for twenty minutes. Starting at Sibbertoft in East Northamptonshire churches all along the valley that crosses five counties such as Northamptonshire plus Leicestershire, Rutland, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire took part. The dioceses of Peterborough, Leicestershire and Lincoln were involved together with no less than seven branches of the Diocesan Guilds of bell ringers. The last ringing of bells took place in the Parish of Fosdyke at the far eastern end of the Welland Valley and very close to the Wash. Here, the bells were rung sixty times to mark each year of our Queens’s reign and the village’s Diamond Jubilee beacon was lit What do I remember? There was so much!
Was it the fantastic performance from the young Paige Barber who, together with so many other talented performers from Gretton kept villagers both entertained and amused for hours? Was it the weather that was so kind after the monsoon of the previous day? Was it the atmosphere of a community together with just two aims; to enjoy a knees up and to commemorate a unique Jubilee celebration? Was it the presence of Corby Radio’s ‘Big Black Bus’ as a centrepiece for the day, a superb core for entertainment and broadcast? Was it the look on Win Fletcher’s face, the first ever Miss Gretton from 1948, when with the original crown, she was crowned ‘Jubilee Queen’ for the day by the 2012 Miss Gretton, her granddaughter Zeenat Britt? Was it all the stalls set up by village organisations and manned by volunteers along Kirby Road selling all sorts of things from coffee to ice creams, chocolates to tombola tickets, books to face paints and so much more from so many others? Was it the patience and kindness of so many people, especially the residents of Kirby Road and surrounding roads and lanes who simply accepted that their homes would be effectively cut off for the day? But what the hell! Let’s all have a good time! Was it the many villagers who spent hours organising the day to make sure it went so well? There was so much. But, my overriding memory was when everyone gave a massive cheer to her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the second. After all, the celebration of her Diamond Jubilee was the reason why we were all there. Mel Jarvis, June 8th 2012 Just a wee update for you all - momentum is now gathering for the Street Party and to date, around 500 people have accepted the Invitation to the party, so its promising to be a fabulous, memorable day :-) If you have returned your invitation slip yet, it would really help if you could do asap - OR you can complete the form on the website www.grettonstreetparty.com - it really will help us with finalising plans.
There is going to be live music throughout the day, Street Entertainer, Magician, Games, Its a Family Knockout, Stalls, Giant Slide, Bouncy Castle, Gladiators Dual, street games and more. We are also needing addresses of any houses that will be decorated up for the day, so they are judged for the "Best Dressed House" competition. There is also Adults and Childrens 50's Fancy Dress competition as well as the Best dressed Table on the day :-) (Commemorative Trophies will be awarded to Winners) - so COME ON GRETTON!! Let's get this party started - Look out for your Commemorative Programme coming through your door soon ... Villagers in Gretton are holding a huge street party to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The event will be in Kirby Road on Monday 4th June.
Terri Meechan, Street Party Chairman, said “There have been some fantastic ideas put forward. We hope that as many Gretton villagers and their friends and families will come along and be part of a memorable occasion for many years to come.” The party will be officially opened at 12 noon by the Mayor of Corby, along with the Chair of the Parish Council, Councillor Marshall Ferguson and Miss Gretton, Zeenat Britt. The event will feature a full concert programme with live bands and local acts performing throughout the Day. Gretton Silver Band will kick off the entertainment and will be followed by Unplugged and Thirsty, Elle Roberts; Three’s a Party, St James Church choir, Martin McEvoy’s Operatic Classics with the party being closed by Stubbully. The day will be supported by Corby Radio who will be broadcasting from their Big Black Bus. The Street party will also feature a Best Dressed House competition, children’s and adults 1950’s fancy dress, street games, entertainers and stalls. A mini funfair will also be in the Village for the whole weekend. There will be something for everyone on the day! Terri added “There has been fantastic support from the village. Our website (www.grettonstreetparty.com) will contain latest news and updates as well as local photographs and film from The Coronation, Silver Jubilee and Golden Jubilee in 2002.” “The excitement in Gretton is tremendous” Terri concluded, “We want to make this a day to remember for years to come; a special part of the history of Gretton.” For more information visit www.grettonstreetparty.com or drop into the Village Post Office in the High Street. Villagers in Gretton are hard at work making preparations for a huge street party to Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A working group made up of residents from all areas of the village have been meeting regularly to plan the event which will be held in Kirby Road on Monday 4th June this year. Spokesperson for the Group, Terri Meechan said “There has been some fantastic ideas put forward as to what will happen on the day most of which have been taken up and are now in place for the day. It is hoped that as many Gretton villagers and their friends and families will come along and be a part of what will be a memorable occasion for many years to come.” The event which will be officially opened by the Mayor of Corby, along with the Chair of the Parish Council, Cllr Marshall Ferguson and Miss Gretton, Zeenat Britt. Gretton Silver Band will kick off the entertainment at 12 Noon. There will also be live bands and local acts performing throughout the Day and they will be supported by Corby Radio who are attending with their Big Black Bus. A Best Dressed House competition will be held which is open to every house in the Village and will be judged for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Trophies. Children’s and adults fancy dress with a 1950’s theme will also be held and again, the winners will be awarded Trophies in each age group.” Street games are being organised for the youngsters along with street entertainers and stalls. A Mini funfair will also be in the Village for the whole weekend. The plan is to have something for everyone on the day! Terri went on to say “We still have quite a few things to try and put into place ...but all is coming together quite well so far - we just hope the weather will also be kind to us” “There has been fantastic support and feedback so far from the residents and organisations in the village – and a website (www.grettonstreetparty.com) has been set up to allow people to keep in touch with us by commenting, sharing ideas, or giving offers of help with things such as tables and chairs for instance or helping out on the day itself. The Website also has photographs and film footage of past celebrations and street parties in Gretton, the last one being the Golden Jubilee 10 years ago – these have all been sent in by residents and it is hoped that if anyone out there has any other pictures or film footage of past street parties in the village, that they are prepared to share these wonderful memories by uploading them to the site. |
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June 2012
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