On Thursday 2 June at 9.45pm, the beacon located at the Terrace Playing Fields on Dancing Hill will be lit, along with 1500 other beacons across the country.
The Sherborne Abbey bells will be ringing between 8 and 8.30pm and then from 8.45pm the Sherborne Town Band will play a medley of music, followed by the Mayor of Sherborne, Cllr Juliet Pentolfe saying a few words.
A bugler will play Majesty at 9.40pm before the beacon is finally lit.
If you are planning to come along to the lighting, please be aware of the following:
- Sensible shoes should be worn – there is some uneven ground.
- Be prepared for any changes in the weather.
- Access for wheelchairs is not advisable.
- Bring a torch as the paths leading up to the beacon are not lit.
- If arriving by car, please park in the Terrace Playing Fields car park.
- If arriving on foot, please use the various footpaths leading up to the beacon.
- The fire services will be present during the event to ensure public safety.
The last time the beacon was lit was in November 2018, to mark 100 years since the end of the first World War and the lighting of beacons across the country symbolised the ‘light of hope’ that emerged from the darkness of war.
We are looking forward to lighting it this year to celebrate a unique milestone in our history, Her Majesty The Queen’s 70th year as Monarch and Head of the Commonwealth. It is a feat no previous monarch has achieved.
Those lighting beacons are also being encouraged to plant a circle of seven trees at an appropriate time, in a bid to assist with the sustainability of our planet. Each tree planted will represent a decade of the Queen’s seventy-year reign.
Sherborne Town Council is working closely with Sherborne Area Schools Trust (SAST) to provide and plant each of the seven trees within the school grounds of seven schools in and around Sherborne, forming a figurative circle of trees that will reach maturity within the school children’s lifetime and form part of a legacy for the area.