Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire

Long Wittenham has received the go-ahead for a street party in the High Street as part of the village celebrations on June 4 to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. South Oxfordshire District Council gave its seal of approval for the High Street to be closed from the Vine& Spice to the Plough between 10am and 6pm.

Plans are now being drafted by the Wittenham Jubilee Committee in conjunction with village groups for a range of events to mark the Royal event. The centre piece will be the High Street party between midday and 4pm. Villagers will be able to bring their tables and chairs and fill the road for the Big Picnic. They can bring their own food and refreshments or choose from special menus at the two pubs or the village barbecue.

A pageant covering the six decades of the Queen’s reign is planned. It’s hoped that village groups and children will take part. The idea is for the parade to assemble in the school playground and walk along to the garden of the Plough which will be the hub of a wide range of activities. There will be games for children in the garden followed by a tea party. In addition there will be a tug-of-war, Irish dancing, maypole dancing and stocks in which selected people will volunteer to have wet sponges thrown at them. The day will also be marked by the official opening of the Public Access Defibrillator which is being installed in the redundant telephone box in the High Street to help save the lives of heart attack victims. On the music scene its planned to have buskers moving around the garden and High Street. The Wittenham Singers will give performances and budding stars of the future will get their chance to show off their musical skills before judges at Wittenham’s Got Talent competition. Celebrations at the Plough will be rounded off with karaoke and a disco. The village history group plans to stage an exhibition of life in Long Wittenham from the 1950s to the present. The W.I. is to hold a cake competition in the village hall. The organisers are calling on resident to decorate their homes with flags and buntings and turn out in force for the activities to make the big community get together a huge success.

The next meeting of the organising committee is on Thursday April 5 starting at 7.30pm in the dining room of the Plough. Everyone is welcome.