Remembering the momentous time that was last year.
2022 was momentous if you were a Brit, more so if you appreciate the special and unique role our Sovereign plays in our constitutional monarchy and off the scale if you happen like me to live and be involved in Windsor.
Only one thing last year was expected but each of the three state events of Jubilee, Funeral and Coronation were years in the planning, highly choreographed and involved a cast of thousands. However in Windsor back in March 2021 it was a small group of local people who decided to put a committee together and create the Platinum Jubilee committee and plan for celebrations fit for the longest reign in British history and to demonstrate the appreciation of our community, county and country to the resident that lives at the top of the hill and in my familys case lives at the end of our road…Her Majesty The Queen.
The jubilee was to happen on the weekend of the 3rd, 4th and 5th of June 2022. It was not lost on the committee that Windsor would be special and In preparation for what we might do we realized that we needed 3 things: A schedule of appropriate events that would engage our community and hopefully inspire the nation, the resources and skills to deliver it and the donations and support to pull it off.
We split the tasks amongst the committee and got cracking. The first thing we did was a launch reception held at Norman Tower in Windsor Caste home of the brilliant affable and ever effervescent Governor and constable Admiral Sir James Perowne and his wife Lady Nichola. We invited the great and the good and the small group of regular philanthropists who always put their hand in their pockets for Windsor events.
Our objective was to raise £500k. There was a connection to past history which guided us. The Prince Philip Trust fund which has supported local charities and needs over the past 45 years was set up to fund the Silver jubilee and the residual £30k was used as seed capital in a fund that now exceeds £3M in capital. Whilst £500k was a huge target we were sure that the historical nature of the Jubilee of Her Majesty in her 96th year would stir the heartstrings and untie the purse strings….we were right… but we had no idea of how important the celebration would be to the nation and what would happen over the following 3 months.
