The people of Fordingbridge will come together on Thursday 2 June to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Organised by Fordingbridge Events Group and Fordingbridge Town Council, a picnic will take place at Fordingbridge Recreation Ground from 3.30pm to 10pm.

The family event is also being supported by Fordingbridge Rotary Group and local businesses to make it as successful as possible and will be a fantastic opportunity for the local community to enjoy festivities and chill out with a day’s worth of amusement to kick off the bank holiday.

Cllr Pete White, who is also part of the Fordingbridge Events Group, said: “It’s a full-on afternoon of entertainment that we have planned. We have several bands booked to play, a choir, Crazy Kev – who you may remember from the Fordingbridge Festival – as well as Best Disco taking us through seven decades of tunes.”

The Rotary Club will also hold its charity duck race. First prize is £500, second prize is £200, and third prize is £100. Tickets for the duck race will be available from the Rotary team who will be selling them from outside the Co-op in Fordingbridge over the coming weeks. Businesses looking to purchase a corporate ticket can do so for £25 with a case of wine on offer as the prize. All money raised from the duck race will be going to local community projects.

At the event, there will be a fully licensed bar and hot food provided by the sports club and The Crown and Mays, the butcher. You will also be able to pick up prepaid hampers from The George. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their own picnic and clear up after themselves.  Portable BBQs or open fires are not permitted.

The event will see the installation of a new beacon on the Recreation Ground so the town can be part of the beacon lighting all over the country and the council is planting a Hornbeam tree to be a lasting reminder. The lighting of the beacon will take place at 9.45pm.

The event is free to attend and more details about the timings for performances will be on the council website and at fordingbridgeevents.com