West Northamptonshire comes together to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III

Thousands of people came together to enjoy a bank holiday weekend of events and activities as communities across West Northamptonshire celebrated the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla.

On Saturday hundreds of people braved the rain for the Community Festival street party in Northampton town centre, with the celebrations continuing in the sunshine on Sunday as over 6,000 people flocked to the Coronation Big Lunch and After Party in the grounds of Northampton’s historic Delapré Abbey to enjoy a range of live music, performances, activities and stalls.

Visitors to the free event were treated to a variety of local performances including StyleStars and Dance with a Difference, Northampton’s Pauline Quirke Academy, Similar Jones, Old Savoy Jazz Band, Rock Choir, Djin-Li, Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists Born To Perform and Lucien Moon, who appeared on The X-Factor in 2015 and is opening up for the legendary boy band Westlife later this summer – all topped off with a live broadcast of the National Coronation Concert on the big screen.

Coronation events also took place at towns and villages across West Northamptonshire, with over 70 street closures taking place as neighbourhoods gathered to stage their own street parties.

The weekend concluded with the Big Help Out on bank holiday Monday, where people across the country joined over 1,500 charities to take part in voluntary work to highlight the impact of volunteering on local communities.

James Saunders Watson, HM Lord-Lieutenant for Northamptonshire, said: “It was fantastic to see thousands of people turn out to enjoy the celebrations across a spectacular bank holiday weekend.

“The weather on Sunday was splendid and it was great to see so many street parties and local events taking place across the whole weekend, with children, families and local communities all getting involved.

“The Big Help Out on Monday was the cherry on top of what was a truly terrific Coronation celebration.”

All council-owned car parks in Northampton town centre were free to use over the Coronation weekend along with the parking facilities in Car Park One and Two at University of Northampton Waterside Campus.

Cllr Adam Brown, West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure, said: “It was great to see so many families and communities come together and enjoy what has been a wonderful Coronation weekend.

“I would like to say a big thank you to all the organisations who helped to support the Big Lunch and make it such a memorable and enjoyable day for all those who came along.

“Finally, a huge well done to everyone who supported in the Big Help Out and embodied the true community spirit that we see so often in West Northamptonshire – a fantastic effort all round.”