BANK Holiday downpours failed to stop a small Gwent town’s Coronation celebrations planned for the “day of volunteering”.
Monday’s bonus bank holiday, to mark the Coronation of Charles III, has been dubbed the Big Help Out with people urged to volunteer their time with the King reported as hoping it will prove to be a lasting legacy of the weekend.
In Magor, Monmouthshire, an afternoon celebration – similar to street parties and events held across the country on Sunday – was organised by the town council and local volunteers who arranged a road closure.
With heavy rain forecast for Monday the decision was taken to move the event, planned for the town square, to the Golden Lion pub with children’s entertainment taking place in its function room and so people could take shelter under it beer garden parasols, or inside the pub, with no expectation of having to make a purchase and all welcome to bring their own food.
Penny Kirkham, a town councillor and one of the organisers, said Monday had been chosen for the party with other events planned locally on Sunday and to celebrate and highlight volunteers.
“As today is the volunteer day we thought we’d get together as volunteers and try and encourage others to get involved in volunteering,” said the local councillor.
“There are lots of local organisations represented and involved such as the parent teacher association, the Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, who have let us use their tables and chairs, and the Magor Brewery, Ab-InBev whose staff helped us set up and will come back to pack up, they are all volunteers.”
Among those helping out was Mrs Kirkham’s husband Simon, of the Magor Events Group which organises the annual May Fair and the Frost Festival that takes place every November.
He said: “We organise those two events and give money to worthy causes.”
Despite being traditionally known as the Magor Churchmen the group is open to all and member Lucy Kenyon said last year it raised around £8,000 with local businesses paying to advertise in the two magazines the group produces.
“The magazine promotes the festivals and the local businesses and we give to everything from hospice Ty Hafan to local groups such as the Brownies and the Girl Guides. We support about 25 organisations and we try and do as many local groups and a couple of national ones such as the Air Ambulance and we’ve also supported the Disasters Emergency Committee appeals for Ukraine and Syria.”
Monday’s event was opened by Edward Watts the deputy lord-lieutenant of Gwent, who had a full diary over the weekend with the lord-lieutenant Brigadier Robert Aitken having attended the Coronation in London.
Mr Watts, who is also the chair of trustees of the Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations and involved with the Scouts, among many other groups, said King Charles is a supporter of volunteers.
“It’s absolutely essential we recognise volunteers, as his Majesty has by asking for today to be for volunteering, and that we bring back the volunteer spirit that has always been there in this country as a whole but especially in communities like this,” said Mr Watts.
“Lots of things people do they don’t realise is volunteering. Every time you help a next door neighbour, as the pandemic was a prime example, by going to the shop or knocking to check on them, that’s volunteering.”
Frances Taylor, who represents Magor on Monmouthshire County Council and helped organise the event, said she hoped residents could enjoy it whatever their views on the Monarchy.
“If people don’t support the Monarchy they don’t need to come but to spend some time with friends and neighbours and connect with the community hopefully, whatever people’s views are, they can come together and enjoy each other’s company.”
Among those attending was Janet Day, 78, from Caldicot who came dressed as a ‘pearly queen’ in an outfit she had made herself as a member of a local voluntary group.
“I used to be the wardrobe mistress for the Caldicot Operatic Society and I made it for a production, my family have guessed there are 2,000 buttons on the outfit,” said Mrs Day who attended with her family including 12-year-old grandson Harley.
Mrs Day watched Saturday’s Coronation service at home and said she could remember being “five or six” and travelling, for the 1953 crowning of Queen Elizabeth II, from her then home in Cardiff to her aunt’s in Kent where there was a street party and she was one of “around 50 people” to cram around a small television to watch the service.
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