As part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, an official beacon will be lit on St. Marys.
Beacons will be lit across the country on the evening of 7th of June in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne. One of the official sites for the beacons, it has been announced, is St. Marys but local communities are encouraged to light their own bonfires in order to add to the project.
The last official set of beacons could be seen on December the 31st 1999, the eve of the Millennium. A bonfire was lit on St. Marys as the BBC national television coverage included shots of the beacon and the last sunset in Britain. On the millennium eve, the official bonfire was lit on St. Marys but other Islands built huge bonfires as well in order to celebrate. This actually meant that the St. Agnes beacon was the furthest South West in the whole country. It is though that the Jubilee beacons may prompt similar projects on the Off Islands.
It is though that many will turn out over the weekend for extensive celebrations and to enjoy the extra bank holiday which has been allocated. If the millennium beacon is anything to go by, the turnout will be very good for a similar fire in June. It is not yet known where the beacon will be lit but several possibilities are the airport again or Peniness headland.
One possibility for the headland the beacon could be placed on.
The Queen is due to visit the South West of England during her hectic May Schedule over the Jubilee period. It is thought to be unlikely that she will visit the Islands though, despite her Son’s strong connections. It is more likely that Prince Charles himself will visit the Islands on her behalf.
