Haverhill goes jubilee crazy!

A festival of summer celebration

The flags are out and the bunting is up as Haverhill gets ready to have its most eventful summer ever.

The Haverhill Town Council led initiative to decorate the Town Centre with red white and blue bunting, Union Jack flags and specially made Haverhill 2012 flags has already met with praise from members of the public and town centre traders alike.

Will Austin Town Clerks says, "Town Councillors were very keen to play their part in making this year of the Jubilee and the Olympic Torch a real celebration and the street decorations reflect that. The positive response is of course its own reward, and we very much hope that the festive colour will prompt people to come out and participate in celebrating this year's big events."

The first big happening of the summer is of course the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Celebrations over the Jubilee weekend include a Jubilee Tribute Night on Saturday 2nd June featuring the music of Queen and The Beatles alongside Haverhill's own singers, the talented winners of The Jubilee Factor competition which took place in April. Haverhill Arts Centre will screen the Jubilee Pageant on Sunday 3rd June and there will be a lighting of a Jubilee Beacon at St Mary's Church on Monday 4 June at 10pm as part of a nationwide project involving 4000 communities in the UK. This event will include Haverhill Churches Together's mini version of Songs of Praise.

With England in the finals of Euro 2012, the Arts Centre is showing the England qualifying games for free and is hoping to attract family audiences to footie on the biggest screen in town. The Family Friendly Footie starts on Monday 11 June at 5.00pm with the England V France match, on Friday 15 June at 5.00pm there will the England V Sweden game and Tuesday 19 June 7.45pm will see England and Ukraine battle it out.

The Haverhill Festival starts of Thursday 14 July with rock and roll legend Marty Wilde at Haverhill Arts Centre and runs all the way through to Sunday 8 July with a Last Night of the Proms event at the Old Independent Church featuring the award winning Haverhill Silver Band and Haverhill Operatic Society. The Olympic Torch comes to town on Saturday 7th July and is set to be the single biggest spectator event ever to take place in Haverhill. The torch will start at Cleves Road, off Burton End, and finish at Anne Suckling Road on Wratting Road. Haverhill Town Council's annual Street Festival is on the same day and the entertainers are sure to warm up the crowds. The acts will include the mighty Titan the Robot plus sporting themed acts involving large gymnasts, amazing hoolahooping, land based synchronised swimming and custard pie throwing! Following swiftly on from the Festival is the Town Council's promotion of Summer in Haverhill which hits the ground running with The Haverhill Historic Vehicle Rally on Sunday 15 July in the Town Hall Car Park. The Great Big Tribute Nights on Haverhill Market Square in August will feature the music of some of the biggest names in pop and rock.

Town Council Arts & Leisure Manager Nick Keeble says, "We have taken the Jubilee theme and are promoting concerts featuring an amazing line-up of Kings and Queens of Pop and Rock and Roll with concerts featuring tributes to Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Michael Jackson amongst others. There will be Free Family Fun Days every Wednesday from 25 July to 23 August at venues including the Recreation Ground, The New Croft, East Town Park, Castle Playing Fields and The Jubilee Plaza. Attractions will include climbing walls, trampolines, an ice rink, inflatables and lots more."

A complete list of events and activities can be found on the Town Council website www.haverhill-tc.gov.uk