Ringwood’s jubilee Party in the Park is to be environmentally friendly.

The town council has announced that reusable cups will be available at the event to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5 June. This is thanks to a generous sponsorship from Comax UK, a locally-based supplier of commercial catering, janitorial and care products, who this year are celebrating 30 years of business and five years in the town. The cups which will be used in the bar, which will be run by the Ringwood & District Round Table and will prevent thousands of single-use plastic cups being used on the day.

Event organisers say they are pleased to be able to offer this service at the event because it ties in with a key message from the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant, running in central London on the same day, of the importance of environmental sustainability.

A £1 refundable deposit will be paid at the bar for each glass. People attending are urged to return them rather than take them home so that they can be used at future events including the Ringwood Grand Prix, fireworks, carnival, and Winter Wanderland.

As well as the reusable glasses, other steps are being taken to reduce the environmental footprint of the event. Items such as plastic hats and flags will not be on sale, and decorations include huge swathes of red, white, and blue bunting which will be sewn by the Make, Do and Mend group using recycled materials, part of RACE Against Time (Ringwood Actions for Climate Emergency).

Cllr Rae Frederick, chairman of the Events Management Sub-Committee said: “We are very grateful to Comax UK for helping us to make this event more environmentally sustainable. We hope that those attending will support us by returning the glasses to be re-used and taking home any waste after the event and recycling where possible.”

For more information about the events in Ringwood marking the Queen’s Jubilee, please visit www.ringwood.gov.uk/events.