Middlezoy pulled out all the stops for the four day holiday in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The village came together, like so many communities over the country, to celebrate this historic milestone in style, making the most of the holiday. The Holy Cross Church became host to the Taunton Deane Big Band on Thursday evening, with more than a hundred people coming to dance, sing and cheer them on.

Villagers gathered outside the Church at 9pm, making the trek to Windmill Hill together anticipating the lighting of the beacon, and after a few tense moments, the flicker of flames could be seen at 9.45pm, prompting a huge cheer from the gathered crowd. 

Friday saw a cricket match between Middlezoy and Long Sutton, complete with food drinks, and games for the spectators, followed by a star-studded evening of tribute bands; “Elton John”, “Neil Diamond” and “Rod Stewart” all delighted the crowds, and for the second night in a row, residents of Middlezoy were treated with a night of music, dancing and flat out fun. 

On Saturday, local children donned their royal themed fancy dress outfits, and had their very own parade, marching from the school to the recreation ground, accompanied by trumpets and drums.

The children were delighted to find an inflatable assault course set up for them upon reaching their destination, and the Women’s Social club provided a tempting array of cakes sold with cups of tea, aptly named “Seven Teas”. John Coles provided music throughout on his keyboard, and locals gathered in the village hall that evening to watch the Party at the Palace on the big screen. 

Sunday, however, was the main event, and the village turned out in masses to attend The Big Lunch in the marquee, kitted out with a kindly donated barrel of beer, and wine provided by the Jubilee Group. Jentle Jazz provided a mellow and melodic soundtrack to the day, and the community delighted in the Big Raffle being drawn, along with prizes awarded for garden art which had been displayed around the village. 

 

The children of Middlezoy all received a Platinum Jubilee medal, which they will surely treasure for years to come, and Richard Horsham is currently crafting a beautiful stone set seat as a permanent memorial, set to be placed among the newly planted trees on the recreation ground, a perfect way to remember the Platinum Jubilee, and the wonderful weekend that was had by all.