A WEST Wylam charity has commissioned a beacon to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

With a little under two months to go until Her Majesty’s Jubilee, the Friends of Eastwoods Park, a charity based in Prudhoe, which runs the Miners Lamp Community Cafe and Hub, will mark the start of celebrations by lighting up the park with a beacon visible across the whole of the Tyne Valley.

The charity has commissioned Blyth Bespoke Fabrication to build the beacon which will be a permanent feature in Eastwoods Park when installed.

Alex Bond, trustee of the Friends of Eastwoods Park, said: “For the first time in over 1,000 years of British Kings and Queens, we can celebrate the magnificent milestone of a Platinum Jubilee.

“HM The Queen has reached 70 years of service to her country and we want our community to be proud of that and help us celebrate it in style.”

Russ Greig, project manager for the Friends of Eastwoods Park, added: “The Queen’s Jubilee is a momentous occasion and we want Eastwoods Park and West Wylam to be the centre of such a momentous occasion as we light the beacon for communities in the Tyne Valley to see, and we’re marking the end of celebrations with one of our well-known family events in Eastwoods Park with a picnic in the park with children’s entertainment.

“The Friends of Eastwoods Park is organising the events to coincide with other events at the same time across the country. But we also want many groups across our town to get involved.”

Thousands of town criers, along with Pearly Kings and Queens, traditional and Northumberland pipers, buglers and choirs from communities across the four corners of the nation and the Commonwealth will play and sing specially commissioned music prior to the lighting of over 1,500 Platinum Jubilee beacons, at 9.45pm on Thursday, June 2.

The charity picnic will be on the Sunday.