Street parties, ABBA tribute bands, and an hour-long ‘ring for the king’ were some of the ways southern Oxfordshire celebrated the coronation of King Charles III.
Throughout the long bank holiday weekend, there was a range of events, parties, and musical performances to mark the first coronation of a British monarch since 1953.
Despite the pouring rain, hundreds gathered on tables and chairs in Wantage Market Place on Saturday to watch the coronation service at Westminster Abbey on a giant TV screen.
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The crowd, who wore raincoats and held umbrellas, joined in with the cries of ‘God save the king’ after the Archbishop of Canterbury placed St Edward’s Crown on Charles’ head.
On a stage behind the screen, there were live performances from local bands such as the Undercovers and White Ridge as well as Morris dancing, dance, and kickboxing displays.
Street vendors from the area – including Fallow & Fields, Surf'n'Fries, and In Fine Spirits - served hog roasts, fries, and coronation chicken.
Town Centre Manager Andrea Yates said: “The weather’s not great at all but people have come out to support the event, as have businesses and the community.
“The one thing about Wantage is that everyone really does come together at events like this.
“Everyone’s really good spirited – we had a couple turn up at about half past nine who got out their table and their chairs in the pouring rain and popped out a bottle of Moët ready for the coronation.
“You’ve got a mixture of all ages, young and old, and everyone’s got their wellies on. I love the whole community spirit about it.
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“It’s a momentous occasion in history. I am a bit of a royalist – I know there are people who aren’t, but for me personally it’s an occasion I want to be able to remember in 30 years time and tell my children and grandchildren about.”
On top of a white-icing decorated coronation cake baked for the event was a cake-topper that had been designed by seven-year-old Millie Sayer as part of a competition.
Millie, a pupil at Stockham Primary School, beat out other primary school pupils from across Wantage with her design of St Edward’s crown.
She said: “I chose a crown because the coronation is about the King being crowned and that’s why I decided to put a crown on there.
“I nearly didn’t enter, but I couldn’t believe it when they told me I had won. I was really surprised and excited.
“When I saw how many other people had entered, I was not very sure that I would have won. I think my design won because of the detail.”
Wantage CE Primary School held a ‘red-white-and-blue day’ on Friday as pupils and teachers dressed in the colours of the Union Jack.
Nursery and reception children enjoyed a coronation tea party and maypole dancing while years one to six held an enormous picnic on the school field.
Headteacher Andy Browne said: “Pupils and staff enjoyed their day and everyone was looking forward to watching the coronation on Saturday.
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“The coronation is an event that we will all remember for the rest of our lives, and we were proud to celebrate it together at Wantage CE Primary School.”
Pupils at Manor Primary School in Didcot had marked the celebration on Wednesday when they gathered on the school playground in the shape of a Royal Cipher for a flypast from RAF Benson.
On Friday, pupils also came to school dressed in red, white and blue and spent the day completing Coronation-themed puzzles and creating crowns and Union Jack flags.
The afternoon closed with a special assembly, which was attended by the local vicar, and where prizes were presented to the competition winners.
The school orchestra played ‘God Save the King’ and ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, and the children also performed a new Coronation song called ‘To the Sound of Trumpets.’
Headteacher Jessica Robinson said: “It is very important for us to mark the occasion of the Coronation, as it is a once-in-a-generation event within our history that everyone can be involved in.”
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Celebrations in Didcot continued throughout the weekend as hundreds gathered in Boundary Park on Saturday for a performance by the ABBA Angels Tribute Band.
From 3pm, eleven bellringers in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell rang the church bells for an hour to mark the Coronation. This was followed by a large street party in the village on Sunday.
There was also a street party on Sunday in Dorchester-on-Thames while hundreds attended an event in Wallingford’s Castle Gardens where there was a performance from Wallingford Tuneless Choir.
On Monday, the volunteer-run Cholsey and Wallingford Railway ran trains as part of the national Big Help Out, a day aimed at promoting opportunities and encouraging more people to volunteer.
Mark Savery, who ran the ticket office, said it had been a ‘great day of volunteering’ and there were ‘lots of paying passengers today and plenty of people looking at getting involved in the future as we improve the station.’
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