Mansfield lays on event fit for a king

An afternoon of brass bands, picnics, knitting and family entertainment will be held in Berry Hill Park on Sunday, May 7, from noon-4pm, the day after His Majesty is officially crowned as King at Westminster Abbey.

Mansfield Museum will be screening the ceremony live on May 6 for residents and visitors to come down and enjoy free of charge from 10am-3pm.

Music will be provided by Top Tier Brass, Pleasley Colliery Brass Band, Red Hot Band, Inspired Voices, local musical talent, and a community choir.

It is part of the national Big Lunch events to mark the coronation, so visitors are encouraged to bring a picnic and blanket. There will be food vendors at the event and the park café will also be open.

As well as Punch and Judy shows, the entertainment will feature a fairground organ, craft activities, including the chance to decorate a royal crown and a family treasure hunt. Free flags will be handed out, while stocks last.

Needlecraft enthusiasts, the Knit Pickers, will also be there for a knit and natter session with an open invitation for visitors to join in knitting blankets for special care babies.

James Biddlestone, Mansfield Council head of people and transformation, said: "We are working with the community to make the coronation celebrations something to be proud of and which will create happy memories of this historic event.

“It will be a great family day out.”

Nottinghamshire Music Education Hub will be showcasing young local musical talent, including the Red-Hot Band, a jazz and funk entertainment band.

Mansfield Community Choir pianist Richard Bacon, has composed a piece of music for the choir to perform exclusively for the coronation.

In another element of the celebrations, the council has chosen to support Project Linus UK as part of the Big Help Out, a national volunteering initiative to mark the Coronation.

The council has donated £100 to Project Linus UK, a non-profit community interest company run by volunteers who make blankets and quilts to donate to children and babies who may be in need of a hug due to illness, bereavement, being in care or having disabilities.

Members of the Knit Pickers, who meet at Forest Town Arena on Wednesdays from 1-4pm, are supporting Project Linus and the coronation by making red, white and blue baby blankets.

Diane Leake, the project's area coordinator for Mansfield, who makes and distributes blankets for the new born babies needing intensive care at Sutton’s King's Mill Hospital, will use the council's donation to make up material packs for volunteers to make and donate their own blankets.

She said: “The donation will be a stepping stone to help our project to become embedded in the area.

“The group gives people a sense of purpose, knowing that their quilts and blankets will bring a smile to the faces of babies, children and teenagers up to the age of 19 years.

“Volunteering is a happy and satisfying experience, and I believe this event will highlight our work and give us all that little boost during this historical moment in which we played a part.”

See mansfield.gov.uk/coronation