A Weekend to Celebrate!

On Sunday a full church celebrated and gave thanks for the Queen during our Special Eucharist.  The Choir sang two beautiful anthems, we joined in with a selection of well loved hymns including Jerusalem and the serviced ended with a organ fanfare and the National Anthem.  One of the congregation commented “It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck”, another that there was “a tear in my eye“.  A Service that combined happiness and a deep sense of thanksgiving for the Queen’s service to the nation.

Then it was on to a Big Lunch in the wonderfully decorated Kepier Hall where over 75 people sat down to a splendid lunch and enjoyed each others company. As someone said “If you can’t be in London, would you want to be anywhere else?”

Monday evening brought the lighting of the Jubilee Beacon and the Fireworks Display.  The Kepier Hall started to fill before 9.00pm and the people just kept coming almost to bursting point. New faces, old faces, people from Houghton and the surrounding district gathered together to celebrate, to share in history and in being part of a world record!  As the time to light the Beacon drew closer people moved out of the Kepier Hall to join those who had gathered out side, until the crowd numbered about 350.  Just before 10.20pm the count down began and then the Beacon blazed out into the night sky one of over 4000 all over the Commonwealth and the UK.  Then the fireworks lit up the night sky as we all enjoyed a great display.

And then the partying continued with many staying on at the Kepier Hall happy to be together, a community gathered to mark history.

One grandmother woke her sleeping grandson up saying ” He mightn’t understand now, but I want him to say he saw the Diamond Jubilee Beacon burn over Houghton.  Something to tell his grand kids!”  A very special night!

Here are some photos of a wonderful weekend for St Michael’s and the whole country! More to come..