{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"By Carl Hankinson, UK Chief Commissioner","standfirst":"Who likes to celebrate? I know I do. And as Scouts, we\u2019re always looking for a reason to get together and celebrate reasons to be cheerful. The good news is that there\u2019s a very big one just around the corner.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/15560/queen-crop.jpg","width":529,"height":520,"altText":"The queen wearing royal blue outfit being presented with a bouquet of flowers by a Beaver and a Scout","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m sure you\u2019ll know by now that 2022 is the Platinum Jubilee of our Patron, HM The Queen. She\u2019s been a friend and supporter Scouts for as long as I, and indeed most of us, can remember. Visiting events, jamborees and being there for big moments like Cubs100 and the launch of Squirrels, she\u2019s inspired young people and encouraged volunteers throughout that time.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENext year, as our Patron celebrates the 70th year of her reign, this is our moment to celebrate, recognise her outstanding contribution, and above all say thank you. I\u2019m struggling to think of anyone who\u2019s shown the same sort of service and dedication as the Queen over such an extraordinarily long time.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/15559/queen.jpg","width":2766,"height":1890,"altText":"Sepia photo of the young Queen smiling walking past a cheering crowd of Scouts","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Platinum Jubilee Challenge \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is why I\u2019d encourage as many of you as possible to take on the Platinum Jubilee Challenge. This is a menu of eight different ways you can celebrate the jubilee locally, and in a fun and meaningful way with your Scouts. It\u2019s also about creating a legacy for the future.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Col\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EPlant a tree for the jubilee\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ELight a beacon\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EArrange a Big Jubilee Lunch\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ETake part in A Million Hands\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EInvite a local Queen\u2019s Scout to speak\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ENab the Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee badge (available in spring 2022)\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EUnite and celebrate\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMail a thank you letter to HM The Queen.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ol\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m afraid there are no prizes for the first person to point out that this list is an acrostic for the word \u2018Platinum\u2019 (take a look at the first letter of each idea). And of course, there\u2019s no need to do them all. But we hope this will provide a little inspiration for you and your Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe big focus for the jubilee celebrations will be the extended bank holiday weekend of 2-5 June 2022, which I know is a time when many of us will be camping. Which leads me onto my next point\u2026\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPlatinum Jubilee camps and get-togethers \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe one idea I like in particular is \u2018Unite and celebrate.\u2019 We\u2019ve been apart for too long, and what better place to get together than at a camp or sleepover - as long as we can do it safely. Of course, we\u2019ll be following the safety advice very closely and will keep you updated.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI know many of you will be thinking of your summer camps and sleepovers and some will already have booked them. If you are camping (or organising a sleepover) can I ask that you think about giving it a Platinum Jubilee theme? It doesn\u2019t matter whether you\u2019re together for one night or ten, giving it a jubilee theme will add that little bit of extra magic.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou could use the occasion to tackle one or two of activities in the Platinum Jubilee Challenge \u2013 inviting a Queen\u2019s Scout to talk to younger members around a campfire for example, or awarding the jubilee badge (available in spring 2022 from Scout Store) while you\u2019re together. We\u2019ll also be adding some new activities in early 2022 to support your programme.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOf course we know that many of you will focus on getting back to some sense of normality after the turbulence of the last 18 months. For that reason, we\u2019re not putting any pressure at all on teams to deliver this or organise anything new. It\u2019s there for you to tackle if you\u2019ve got the capacity and there\u2019s no problem at all if it doesn\u2019t look possible.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGood luck and thank you\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut we all need things to look forward to, and this feel like a wonderful moment to do the things we love best \u2013 camping, celebrating and being together to celebrate with friends old and new.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHave a great year whatever you choose to do, and I hope to catch up with many of you along the way. Thanks for all you\u2019re doing.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Buy your badge today","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe official Scouts uniform badge for HM The Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee Badge is now available to buy from Scout Store.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"Scout store jubilee badge","id":null,"url":"https://shop.scouts.org.uk/new-in/queen-s-platinum-jubilee-badge-18306#selection.color=NULL\u0026selection.size=One%20Size","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":"#0061ce","title":"Official Jubilee Badge","image":"/media/16947/jubilee-badge.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1daf481ca206490","imageFocus":"","imageId":31249,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"07 December 2021","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":50762,"nodeName":"Let\u2019s make 2022 a year to remember: celebrating HM The Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee","title":"Let\u2019s make 2022 a year to remember: celebrating HM The Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/15560/queen-crop.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd1bee1060","caption":"Queen , Beaver and Scout Flowers","type":"jpg","size":49258,"width":529,"height":520,"altText":"The queen wearing royal blue outfit being presented with a bouquet of flowers by a Beaver and a Scout"},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Let\u2019s make 2022 a year to remember: celebrating HM The Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Let\u2019s celebrate HM The Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee. As our Patron, this makes it an extra special occasion for us as Scouts","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDc2MiJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/december/let-s-make-2022-a-year-to-remember-celebrating-hm-the-queen-s-platinum-jubilee/"}