Published: Wednesday, 11th May 2022
Thousands of Oldhamers set to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June
It's time to celebrate, as more than 230 street parties across the borough have been given funding by the council to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in style.
Earlier this year, we put out a call to residents to apply for up to £250 in funding to host a street party in their neighbourhood.
Initially, 70 grants were up for grabs - one for each year of the Queen's reign - but almost 200 more applications than that were received. We then worked with partners Action Together to agree funding an increased number of celebrations - to ensure everyone gets the chance to mark the occasion with their neighbours and communities.
Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Leader-Elect of Oldham Council, said: “Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee is a truly historic occasion, and a wonderful opportunity for communities from across Oldham to come together.
“I’m delighted that so many people applied for funding, although this made it really difficult to choose just 70 celebrations to fund. That's why we’ve been working hard behind the scenes over the last couple of weeks to plug the funding gap, and are so grateful to Action Together for stepping in and joining us on this project.
“Whether you’re planning a street party, a tea dance, or any other kind of celebration, we look forward to hearing all about it and we hope that everyone in Oldham will be able to join in and have fun."
Laura Windsor-Welsh, Strategic Locality Lead, Action Together CIO, said: “We were delighted by the huge response from Oldham residents to host Jubilee street parties. The last two years has shown us all just how important neighbourliness is to communities, and we are thrilled to be able to work alongside Oldham Council to support as many neighbours and communities as possible to celebrate this historic occasion together.”
Successful applicants were informed earlier this week that an additional 165 parties would be funded, in addition to the originally-proposed 70.
Christine Brown from Royton is set to receive a grant, she told us: “We went round dropping the invites to neighbours as soon as we received the news. We’re so excited!
“All the street is involved in the party, and we’ve invited those on the main road too as they don’t have gardens.
“We first started to form a bond during the pandemic with clap for carers as we all came out onto our doorsteps so it’s lovely to be able to continue with that spirit and get the street involved. The grant will make a big difference and we’re already thinking about what we can do to make it special for the kids.”
The Platinum Jubilee celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years of service to the British people and marks the first ever Platinum Jubilee in British royal history.
Throughout the Jubilee weekend from 2 to 5 June, we’ll be using #OldhamJubilee on our social media channels to keep you up to date with all things Jubilee in Oldham, and would encourage people to join us by posting their own photographs.
If you’re planning a celebration, we're offering advice on how to do it safely at www.oldham.gov.uk/Jubilee
People from across the borough will also be able to enjoy a host of other celebrations during the four-day holiday, including a torchlit procession; a two-day family-friendly festival with street theatre, live music, dance, art, and activities including arts and crafts, and big screens showing the national Jubilee Pageant in London.
Our galleries and libraries will also be hosting other activities, including the chance to watch our beacon be lit in synchronicity with beacons across the UK and Commonwealth.