How are you celebrating?

With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Weekend fast approaching, we would love to hear how you are planning to celebrate.

Do let us know your ideas – are you having a local street party? Do send us in your photos of any local community events that you have enjoyed attending – we love to see them!

Have you seen or met the Queen at all over the years?  Do send us in your memories and/or photos if you have any.

In the last edition of Little Stoke Gifford Matters we produced a selection of photos for the Little Stoke Scouts 60th Jubilee which is also being celebrated this year.  One of the photos included the Queen visiting Filton High School, with the caption – ‘The Queen opening Filton High School but can anyone remember the year?’

We were delighted to receive feedback from local resident Claire Wood in response to this photo, which I am pleased to share here  – “I’m Claire Wood and I have lived in Stoke Gifford for the last 14 years. I grew up in Filton.  I was really interested in looking on pages 6 and 7 of the Little Stoke Gifford Matters magazine at the old photos of scouting events. There is one picture at the bottom of page 6, with the Queen visiting Filton High School and the comment attached to it is that the Queen is opening Filton High but could anyone remember the year?  I remember it very well, as I   was very much involved in the day, as a pupil of Filton High, at the time.  It was NOT the opening of Filton High.    It was a visit made by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to celebrate her Silver Jubilee. The date is August 8th 1977.

We all gave up a day of our summer holidays to be there. It followed months of planning, preparation and training on how to behave and what to do.  She visited other places in Bristol on that day including the official opening (or naming, or something) of   Royal Portbury Dock at Avonmouth.  

Just a funny story to add to this but a year later, on the last day of the summer term 1978, Mr Smith who was Head Master of Filton High at the time, gave the day’s notices and said after all the planning that had gone into the previous year’s visit by the Queen, we might not believe him if he told us that she was visiting again today!  Actually what was happening was that the Queen was arriving by train at Bristol Parkway and going by car into the city of Bristol for an event and Mr Smith got all the pupils to go out and line the Mile Straight and wave as she passed by in her car!”

Thank you Claire for making contact and agreeing to share your memories.  It would be great to compile a few more memories/photos of the Queen visiting our locality in this, her Diamond Jubilee Year, so if you have anything to share please do get in touch by emailing [email protected]

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