It gives me great pleasure to report that our Golden Jubilee celebrations, sparked off with a £3500 donation from the Parish Council, have been a resounding success with praise coming from all quarters. From Mrs. Joan Sharples, who represents four generations in the village to Cllr. Chris Cray, the Chairman of the Norton Radstock Town Council. The Peasedown St John Parish Council and the village community as a whole were praised for organising together events that involved most of the existing organisations within the village, embracing all ages as shown in the Golden Jubilee Poem Competition.

The churches in the village - St. John’s, St. Joseph’s and the Methodist Church staged exhibitions and activities that were well attended by many on the Saturday. Stalls offering cakes, coffees and lunches catered efficiently to satisfy hungry revellers. Discos and dances at the Parish Church Hall, the Cricket Club and Beacon Hall offered entertainment and dancing for all ages and tastes. The Carlingcott Methodist Church organised a successful street party. The walks organised by Kathy Thomas proved to be popular and added a picturesque dimension to the celebrations despite the bad weather.

The exhibitions of christening gowns from the past century together with Dick Graham’s historical memorabilia proved to be successful that the viewing time was extended to an extra day.

The Civic Service held on the Sunday was preceded by a procession formed by the Parish Council accompanied by honourable guests from Norton Radstock Town Council, Camerton Parish Council and the Clergy. The uniformed groups of Scouts, Guides, Brownies and Cubs carried their magnificent colours proudly and lent panache and prestige to the whole assembly. The service came alive with songs from the ecumenical choir from the three Churches. Reverend Hugh Bonsey led the service and captivated the whole congregation with an interactive sermon that kept everyone enthralled. Father Duncan Ferguson and Reverend Ruth Farrant led prayers and read a lesson. A tea party organised by Heather Bonsey followed the service.

At the Cricket Ground the Scouts, led by Karl and Heidi, bravely went ahead with their Its a Knockout despite a rainy start. Their enthusiastic energy was later recompensed by glorious sunshine enjoyed by families whose appetite had been satiated by the ongoing barbecue run by Chris and his helpers.

The Jubilee Dinner held at Beacon Hall went a treat. Cllr. John Derrick proposed the toast to the Queen and afterwards to his distinguished guests. This was followed by a short speech. When the live band "B Sharp"; started to play tunes from the sixties it did not take long before keen dancers spilled onto the floor. At 2200 hours precisely the Beacon, which had been prepared by Chris Champion, was lit by Cllr. Derrick to the delight of the crowd. It was awe-inspiring and a very emotional moment for many. There was an intangible feeling of belonging to a great nation and everyone murmured their appreciation of a beautiful fire symbolic of our Heritage. The day ended with a most impressive fireworks display. The crowd was well behaved and I wish to thank the people from the village for their exemplary attitude throughout the four days.

The Jubilee draw took place on the Tuesday evening at the Cricket Club, witnessed by the regular visitors to the club. There were 47 prizes altogether,. The first four top prizes were: -

Balloon Ride won by Angela Williams, £100 won by Mike Gregory, £25 won by Vicky Hammerton and the dinner for two at the Cricket Club by Alan Jones.

The Golden Jubilee Poem Competition Award ceremony took place on 14th June at the Primary School. It was a memorable event attended by many parents, Parish Councillors, Church representatives and the Press. Mr. Tilling, the Head Teacher, the pupils and their teachers made us proud and we wish it thank them for their warm welcome. The winners read their poems with dignity and I wish to quote the winner of the senior category Mrs. Jessica Hancocks (87). She said in her thank you letter to the Council "I must tell you what has effected me deeply with the arrangements made for the presentation. The word that comes to mind first is the word courtesy....I was quite overwhelmed by the pupils who gave me a reception of deep interest in what I was reading from my poem";.

The first prize winners were: -

Junior

Melissa Parfitt (7),

Adam Baker (8),

Williams (8),

Jasmine-Alice Brown (9)

Jacqui Fee (10).

Jessica-Joan Hancocks, 1st;

Allan Harman, 2nd;

Niki Priddle and Carol Shroeder, both Commended.

I am sure that the children of the village wish to thank our Parish Council Chairman, Cllr. John Derrick and his Vice-chairman, Cllr. Mrs. Esme Latchem for presenting them with a commemorative Golden Jubilee mug.

My last word is to thank and give credit to all members of the Golden Jubilee Committee who made it all happen with the cooperation of the whole community of Peasedown St John. I would also like to thank the St. John Ambulance Team who attended all day on the Monday.

The three good causes who will benefit from the weekend are the Primary School Playground Project, Beacon Hall Age Concern lunches and the Community Bus.