Sussex celebrates the Diamond Jubilee
1:15pm Monday 4th June 2012 in News By Bill Gardner
Sussex turned red, white and blue over the weekend as Diamond Jubilee fever swept the county.
Miles of bunting fluttered up and down streets as thousands of people joined together to celebrate 60 years of the Queen’s reign.
Trestle tables groaned under the weight of Jubilee treats, children played on bouncy castles and neighbours sat chatting while sipping glasses of champagne.
Fears of a washout proved unfounded as the sun broke through the clouds in the afternoon, bathing revellers in a Jubilee glow.
In St Keyna Avenue, Hove, about 600 people spent the day eating together, playing games and singing songs.
Organiser Jason Glanvill said: “It’s been incredible, such an amazing day.
“We’ve raised about £4,500 for a children’s charity but we’ve also had such a lot of fun.
“Even the mayor and mayoress came down for a glass of Pimms. Everyone has enjoyed themselves so much.”
Party-goers in Langdale Gardens, Hove, wore special masks of royals including Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge to their party.
Organiser Stephanie St James said the day had been “a bit mad” but said it had gone “tremendously well”.
She said: “We’ve had far too much food and drink and there’s been so much going on. It’s been brilliant.
“We had a tug of war, an egg and spoon race and an incredible band.
"We’re like a big family here so it’s great that we get this opportunity to come together and have fun.
“Everyone really does care about the Jubilee and people have been amazingly patriotic, which is great.”
Jubilee performance
After trying to guess the weight of a large Jubilee cake, partygoers in The Causeway, Hove, were treated to a special Jubilee performance from a mime artist dressed in Union Flag colours.
Lorna Monaghan, who helped organise the party, said the special day had “really brought the whole community together”.
She said: “We have lived here for 20 years and I have met neighbours I never knew I had. That’s what days like this are all about.
“We’ve got bunting, balloons and even some Jubilee pom poms and we also had an egg and spoon race.
“The weather’s been kind to us and now we just can’t wait till next year when we’re going to do it all again.”
Traditional games
In Worthing, children in Pavilion Road came together for an afternoon of ‘welly wanging’ – trying to throw a wellington boot as far as possible.
Organiser Ella Arnardottir said the party had been “all about building a real sense of community”.
She said: “There are lots of people from different ethnic backgrounds here.
“So we had lots of exotic food from around the globe, which was great. People here have been quite competitive about their street parties, which has been fun, and I think we’ve done very well.”
In Downside Avenue, Worthing, people came together to play unusual games including trying to pick doughnuts off a stick with no hands.
Organiser Sandra Collins said revellers had “really got into the spirit” of the Jubilee.
She said: “Lots of people watched the pageant on TV and it really got them in the mood.
“The party really brought the community together because you don’t often get the chance to chat to your neighbours and this really helps.
“A lot of the people here might never see another Jubilee so I’m glad we really made the most of it.”
See more Diamond Jubilee Street Party pictures in The Argus' dedicated gallery.
Are you holding a Jubilee gathering? Call us on 01273 544531 or email news@theargus.co.uk We want your Jubilee street party pictures. Email them to news@theargus.co.uk or text them to 80360 starting your text with SUPIC.
Source: www.theargus.co.uk
Major food award for Tipperary business - Clonmel Nationalist
Cahir company, Oakpark Foods, has won a gold medal at the prestigious annual own label food and drink awards which took place in London.
The value-added pork and bacon processor won the top award in the chilled bacon category for its dry cure rashers which are sold by Lidl. It beat entries from all major UK retailers.
Over 750 own label products were entered in the competition, which is organised by the Grocer magazine. Oakpark rashers was the only Irish-manufactured product to receive a gold medal. All products were subject to 16 weeks of consumer research and finalists were assessed by a judging panel of food scientists, chefs and food journalists.
Speaking in London after receiving the award, Oakpark managing director Jimmy Brett said this major international honour is testament to the innovation and professionalism of the company’s 50 staff and their dedication to the highest standards of excellence.
“It will be of huge benefit to our export drive into Britain where Oakpark has already established itself as a key supplier to Lidl stores,” he said.
Oakpark Foods is an integral part of the family-run Brett Group which was established in 1940. With facilities in Ardfinnan and in Callan and Windgap in Kilkenny, the agribusiness and food company is involved in supplying seed grain and agronomy services to tillage farmers as well as grain purchase and manufacture and supply of animal feed to dairy, beef and pig farms, including its own pig units.
This integrated production system ensures unique control over the Oakpark pork and bacon products range from farm to fork.
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Print this pageSource: www.nationalist.ie
Kent racehorse Stone of Folca becomes world’s fastest - Kent News
Stone of Folca
Chris Murphy
Monday, June 4, 2012
1:17 PM
Horse trained by Maidstone’s John Best romps to victory at Epsom Derby Day
A Kent racehorse has become the world’s fastest over five furlongs - with the Queen looking on as she kicked off her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The incredible performance of Stone of Folca, from the original name of Folkestone, saw him take the world record over that distance in front of the Queen.
He is trained by John Best at Detling near Maidstone, who could not be happier, as the horse’s value has just soared.
Anyone with around £400,000 to spare and fancies owning an animal with more horse power than any other can get in touch.
Stone of Folca is owned by people holding 120 shares, which were originally bought for £555 each.
But then the horse won the Investec Specialist Bank Dash during the Epsom Derby Day meeting on Saturday in front of the monarch.
He was a 50-1 long shot, ridden by Luke Morris, but it left the rest of the 20-strong field in his wake win in a time of 53.69 seconds. That is 0.09 seconds faster than Indigenous did 52 years ago using a handheld stopwatch which was wildly inaccurate, especially when hundredths of seconds count.
The £46,000 prize money is now paid out to the shareholders at around £380 per share, almost paying the owners back in one race.
Mr Best said: “We do sell horses from here when they run well so we make a profit. I would say this horse is now worth something between £300,000 and £400,000. Many go to Hong Kong.”
The Epsom course is slightly downhill, so the record is unlikely to be broken at any other track, and Stone of Folca just happened to be on his best form that day.
Mr Best said: “He is four this year. He was a fine two-year-old, then had last year whichg wasn’t too great, and now this.
“And he did it from stall two. At Epsom no one wins from under stall nine out of the 20 or so. A high stall number is vital to win. So if Stone of Folca had one of the higher stalls, he would have shattered all the records.
“I’ve always known he was quick but sometimes he can be very hard to handle. This time though every thing went like a dream.
“I believe not only was it the first time the race has been won from a stall lower than nine, but also the fastest time recorded electronically for any five furlong race. We will almost certainly take our chances at Royal Ascot, in June although that will be a huge step up.”
Source: www.kentnews.co.uk
SUSSEX: 7 piping plover chicks hatch at Cape Henlopen - Delaware Wave
CAPE HENLOPEN STATE PARK Seven piping plover chicks have been seen on the Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said.
Two pairs of the threatened shore bird hatched the chicks last week. One pair has been seen with four chicks, and the other has been seen with three.
Both broods have moved away from the nest site, angling toward the shoreline to feed, DNREC officials said.
Two other pairs on the Point con tinue to incubate their eggs, and monitors are watching for signs of hatching.
Source: www.delmarvanow.com
Teens' Sussex school project goes viral online - CBC
A group of teens from Sussex say they're blown away by the success of a school project they posted online.
The four-minute video called From Sussex and I know it is a parody of life in the community. It's been viewed on YouTube more than 110,000 times.
"It's incredible to have this many people watch and even like it," said Jed Webster, one of two performers in the video. Webster dances around a farm with his friend, Nathan Brown.
The two 16-year-olds are in a band with another student, Mac Miller. The song is a parody of the popular LMFAO tune Sexy and I know it.
"It was the band's initial idea, and we were going to do a remake, but what really gave us the drive to do it was two school projects," said Webster.
Their assignments were to do a self-expression project and create a song.
"Hey man, I heard you were from that small town with all the cows and stuff," the teens sing in the opening lines.
Webster said the teens wanted to have some fun and show off their hometown.
"Our main message from this video was mainly just to have a little fun and not take things so seriously all the time," said Webster.
"Sussex gets a lot of stereotypes about everyone farming and all that stuff, so we just took these and kind of just made it funny."
Sussex is a small farming community of 4,300 people.
The video took two days to make with the help of their friend Jeremy Vincent.
Webster said they've done a few projects as a group to get some laughs around school, but this one struck a chord.
"We never thought it would go this big," he said.
Source: www.cbc.ca
Police seek the owner of stolen bike - Chichester Observer
POLICE are trying to trace the owner of a stolen bike which was recovered after a youth was arrested for shoplifting in Chichester.
The white ladies’ Ridgeback Rapide was being ridden by the 17-year-old when officers were called to Lidl in Portfield Way on Monday, May 28, following an allegation of theft from the store.
The youth was subsequently charged with shoplifting and theft and is due to appear at Chichester Youth Court on Wednesday, June 13.
A police spokesperson said: “Whilst we believe the bike is stolen, we have had no reports of it being taken and therefore are unable to identify the loser.
“If anyone recognises the description of the bike and thinks it may belong to them, we would ask them to contact police on 101, quoting serial number 0719 of 28 May.”
Source: www.chichester.co.uk
Diamond Jubilee: Hundreds of Kent beacons to be lit - BBC News
Nearly 200 beacons have been lit across Kent as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
More than 4,000 beacons were lit across the Commonwealth and beacons around the UK were set off on landmarks and hills.
Kent saw more beacons lit than any other county, with 182 applications made to the event organisers.
The South Foreland Lighthouse on the Kent coast was lit for first time in over 20 years as part of the event.
'Community spirit'The National Trust, which owns the lighthouse, said it would be the largest and brightest of the beacons, with its beam able to reach almost 40 miles.
In Gravesend, members of the Windmill Hill Residents Association have prepared a beacon which overlooks the Thames Estuary.
Beacons have been lit on Windmill Hill throughout history when they were first used to warn of the approach of invading forces coming up the Thames.
The Jubilee beacon was originally erected in 1988 for celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada and is lit by residents every New Year's Eve.
David Draper, of Windmill Hill Residents Association said: "We've got a great community spirit on the hill.
"I have had loads of people phoning me up saying 'we want to give you a hand' even though it's raining."
See all the latest Diamond Jubilee news and features at bbc.co.uk/diamondjubilee
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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