Today, 6th February 2022, Queen Elizabeth will have been Britain’s monarch for fully 70 years. It is a truly remarkable achievement and one worthy of celebration in these islands and across the Commonwealth. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has become the longest reigning monarch in British history, surpassing Queen Victoria’s 63 years and 216 days.

After a difficult 2021, which of course, included the death of Prince Phillip, a national celebration is exactly what the country needs. A ‘Big Jubilee Lunch’ is being held across Britain and the Commonwealth on Sunday 5 June. As we type there are no plans for an official event in Filey. However, Filey Town Council has announced that there will be support for community led initiatives.

Filey rightly celebrates its links to Royal holidaymakers, who were relatively regular visitors to The Crescent, particularly in the late nineteenth century. As late as the 1955 the Royal Parade promenade was opened by Princess Mary. She was perhaps the Royal with the longest association with Filey. The only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary and the aunt of the Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Mary became the Countess of Harewood when she married Viscount Lascelles (later the 6th Earl of Harewood) in 1922, the future Queen Elizabeth II was a bridesmaid.

Princess Mary, a regular visitor to Filey

If anywhere in Britain is suited to a Platinum Jubilee party it would be the Crescent Gardens. The graceful white-washed houses, and the beautifully tended gardens, would make an idea backdrop. The bandstand offers a readymade focal point and surely a relatively easy way for the town to mark the Platinum Jubilee would be a band concert, with people invited to bring along their own picnics?

The current summer series of concerts commence on 19 June, an additional concert on Sunday 5 June could be the focal Platinum Jubilee event for the town. Some Union Jack bunting in the town’s streets and Filey would have an eye-catching event that might draw visitors from far and wide.

After months of lockdowns and isolation, it could be a way of bringing the people of Filey, and our visitors, together for a celebration of our Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who has led by example, and given the nation much-needed leadership throughout these difficult times. Now more than ever, we need to show our, the nation’s, appreciation.