Charities to light beacons across the UK on Platinum Jubilee weekend
National charities have said they will light community beacons to honour the Queen as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
Charities including Girlguiding, Walking with the Wounded and the National Trust will take part in the Beacons event, which is set to begin on June 2.
It will mark the extended bank holiday, which runs from June 2 to June 5, to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, making her the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.
On February 20, The Queen tested positive for Covid-19 and Buckingham Palace has said that she is suffering from mild cold-like symptoms.
Members of Girlguiding are to light 70 beacons, while former servicemen and women from Walking with the Wounded have said their lights will shine on top of the highest peaks of each of the four nations in the UK.
Angela Salt, chief guide, Girlguiding, said: “Her Majesty The Queen has a long-standing personal history with Girlguiding and we are very excited to be involved in the upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
“The Queen first joined Girlguiding as a Guide in 1937, at 11 years old alongside her sister, Princess Margaret and in 1952, the same year she succeeded to the throne became our patron.
“On [June 2] Girlguiding members across the UK and beyond, will come together to celebrate this special occasion lighting 70 Beacons to mark each year The Queen has been on the throne.”
More than 1,500 Platinum Jubilee Beacons are planned to be lit across the UK and Commonwealth on the evening of June 2, with a Principal Beacon set to be lit at Buckingham Palace.