Welcome message
Good evening everyone and welcome to Lincoln Castle.
Thank you to Queen Victoria’s Consort band for playing for us whilst we all arrived and settled in. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Karl McCartney and I am the Member of Parliament for Lincoln. It is my great pleasure to welcome you tonight as we mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with the lighting of the Jubilee Beacons.
In a few short moments, Lincoln will join towns and cities across the UK and the Commonwealth in lighting beacons to mark this momentous occasion. In total, more than three thousand beacons will be lit at the same time around the world. You can see our beacons on the castle wall behind me, and tonight they will be lit by the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Mr. Toby Dennis, and the Right Worshipful, the Mayor of Lincoln, Councillor Mrs. Rosanne Kirk.
There is a long tradition of celebrating Royal Jubilees, Weddings and Coronations with the lighting of beacons. In 1897, beacons were lit to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. And 10 years ago, Lincoln Castle was host to beacons to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
Before we light the beacons tonight, we will have some more music. We will first hear a piper playing a piece called Diu Regnare – which is Latin and translates too: ‘Long to Reign’, and a bugler playing a piece called ‘Majesty’, both from the Castle Walls behind me, before the Lincoln Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society Choir sings ‘A Life Lived With Grace’, the winner of the ‘Song for the Commonwealth’ competition, written especially for this unique occasion.
Thank you to you all for joining us tonight and I hope you enjoy this 70th Platinum Jubilee celebration here in Lincoln.
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Closing message
Thank you once again for joining us tonight here at Lincoln Castle. And thanks too, to Lincolnshire County Council, the City of Lincoln Council, and all others involved in organising and performing at this event this evening.
Throughout this weekend, there will be more live entertainment from the bandstand here. And throughout the weekend, coverage of many other Jubilee events around our Country will be shown on the screen at Lincoln Castle for all to enjoy, including on Saturday night coverage of the Platinum Party at the Palace in London and all are invited to continue the celebrations.
So you are welcome to bring a picnic and come and enjoy and extend the atmosphere of this unique moment in our Country’s history, if not this unique moment across the world.
Now before we finish with a traditional round of applause for everyone involved and for you all to each other for turning up, I think as one of the oldest cities in her Majesty’s Kingdom, in the oldest Parliamentary Constituency in her Majesty’s kingdom, we yellow bellies can show our appreciation of our Sovereign’s long, kind-hearted and goodness filled reign.
By showing how proud we are to be the best of British - and singing is a joyous group pursuit – and the music we have heard this evening has been wonderful, but I think we would all like to take part in something together, so a song you all know, maybe even a hymn, but I think a lasting memory for all of us would be to sing one verse of the national anthem – with all our might and as if there was a roof on Lincoln Castle and we are trying to raise it up with our voices.
Enjoy the rest of your Jubilee weekend, thankyou Lincoln and Lincolnshire, and goodnight.
