{"alias":"newsItem","byline":"","standfirst":"Thousands of Scouts from across the UK and overseas will be lighting their Platinum Jubilee beacons at 9.45pm GMT on Thursday 2 June.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom Hertford Castle to Upper Rock in Gibraltar, it\u2019s set to be a proud moment for them, and continues a great tradition, celebrating the 70-year reign of our Patron, HM The Queen.\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/17647/bonfire-beacon.png","width":750,"height":563,"altText":"A large bonfire beacon aglow on a hill,  with an adult and two children next to it looking towards the camera, against a background of water and a castle below","caption":"Bonfire beacon (supplied image, non-Scout event)","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EFancy swimming in an open air lido at a quarter to ten at night with the jubilee flame flickering in the water? That\u2019s what a band of hardy souls are up to over at Brightlingsea, Essex (and there\u2019s still time to sign up). Or how about catching the dazzle of beacons as they light up Hadrian\u2019s Wall?\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOn the night of Thursday, 2 June, over 2,800 jubilee beacons will be lit across the UK and beyond to celebrate HM The Queen\u2019s 70 years as our monarch. They\u2019re in every location imaginable \u2013 from hilltops and castles, to town centres and quarries (as well as a fair few in the grounds of Scout huts). \u00A0\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScouts are proud to be lighting 87 of these beacons (at the last count) to celebrate the Queen\u2019s outstanding service to the country and the Scout movement. It\u2019s a fitting tribute to someone who\u2019s given so much encouragement and inspiration to so many, for so long.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/17644/platinumplusjubileeplusbeacons.png","width":750,"height":310,"altText":"Multi-coloured logo, and text \u0027The Queen\u0027s Platinum Jubilee Beacons 2nd June 2022\u0027","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA historic moment\u0026nbsp;\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBeacons were lit for HM The Queen\u2019s jubilees in 1977, 2002 and 2012, but the tradition dates back much further. It began with the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, our second longest reigning monarch (a mere 63 years on the throne) in 1897. Since the tradition was revived in the 1970s, beacons have lit up almost all of the Queen\u2019s significant milestones, including her 90\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C/sup\u003E birthday in 2016.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOur Scout beacons will come in many shapes and sizes \u2013 from traditional free standing beacons, fuelled by gas, to the more ornate \u2018beacon brazier\u2019 to the good old fashioned bonfire. Scouts are no strangers to fire and didn\u2019t need to be asked twice to take part. We soon had the 70 we were aiming for (one for each year of The Queen\u2019s reign) and very quickly sailed past that target.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/17642/jubilee-beacon-image.jpg","width":750,"height":750,"altText":"A beacon glowing alight with a golden flame, with golden fireworks in the background","caption":"Beacon brazier (supplied image, non-Scout event)","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom the south coast to Stornoway \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFrom Parkstone St Peter\u2019s Scout Group\u2019s beacon, in Poole, Dorset, close to where the Scout movement began back in 1907, to 2\u003Csup\u003End\u003C/sup\u003E Stornoway up in the Highlands and Islands, Scouts will be shining bright for the jubilee the length and breadth of the country. Not to be outdone, 5\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C/sup\u003E and 6\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C/sup\u003E Merthyr Scouts will be joining forces for their beacon at Troedyrhiw. If you happened to be flying over on Thursday evening, the country will be twinkling like a World Scout Jamboree below you.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScouts in Northamptonshire are just some of those getting ready for the big night. Malcolm Dyer, from the Overstone Scout Active Support Unit, said: \u2018We\u2019re proud to be part of this momentous celebration and mark 70 years of Her Majesty\u2019s services to communities across the UK.\u2019 Their beacon will be lit at the Overstone Scout campsite and Activity Centre.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, 1\u003Csup\u003Est\u003C/sup\u003E Wilton Scouts will be lighting their beacon at the Beacon Oak, near Salisbury, where the same group lit a beacon in 1952 to welcome the new Queen.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBritish Scouts overseas \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re especially delighted that Scouts from further afield will be taking part too, including Scouts Gibraltar, an overseas federated member of UK Scouts. Their beacon will be lit as part of a four-day jubilee camp, at the Governor\u2019s Lookout Scout Activity Centre in Gibraltar\u2019s Upper Rock, Nature Reserve. Pipe Major, Tarik El-Yabani from the Sea Scouts\u2019 Pipes and Drums will play \u2018Diu Regnare\u2019 to start the event.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/17643/scouts-gilbraltar-beacon.jpg","width":480,"height":640,"altText":"An unlit beacon in a storage room","caption":"Gibraltar Scouts prepare their beacon","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIconic locations \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis year, beacons are being lit at other iconic locations too \u2013 including the Tan Hill Inn in Yorkshire Dales (the highest pub in Britain), on the summits of the highest peaks in each country in the UK, and even on Sark, in the Channel Islands.\u0026nbsp; Not to be outdone, beacons will be lit at all the Queen\u2019s royal palaces too \u2013 from Sandringham and Balmoral to Hillborough Castle in Northern Ireland. The first beacon \u2013 the 21-metre Tree of Trees sculpture will be lit at Buckingham Palace by a senior royal.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENone of this has happened by accident. The mastermind behind the event is Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR, pageant master of The Queen\u2019s Jubilee Platinum beacons, who has been working on the plan for years. \u2018It\u2019s wonderful to see the range of support for beacon lighting,\u2019 he said, \u2018which will highlight both the diversity and unity of the nation and the Commonwealth. The Queen has lit up our lives for 70 years through her dedicated service and commitment. We would like to light up the nation and the Commonwealth in her honour.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"I\u2019m so proud that Scouts will be lighting at least 70 beacons, one for each year of our Monarch and Patron\u0027s reign. HM The Queen is a shining light for young people","attribution":"Chief Scout Bear Grylls","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThis Thursday, Chief Scout, Bear Grylls will be cheering Scouts on: \u2018I\u2019m so proud that Scouts will be lighting at least 70 beacons,\u2019 said \u2018one for each year of our Monarch and Patron\u0027s reign. HM The Queen is a shining light for young people, helping them gain skills for life. Her outstanding example of service, dedication and kindness have inspired generations.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIn good company \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScouts will be joined by plenty of other community and youth groups too, including the Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Force and Girlguiding UK, whose Patron is also HM The Queen. All will be lighting their own beacons to help celebrate. Good luck to everyone who\u2019s taking part, (and thanks to our insurers, Unity who helped provide cover for many of these events). Stay safe and enjoy being part of history.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the meantime, if you\u2019re running short of matches, now\u2019s the time to buy them as they\u2019ll be in as short supply as Union Jack bunting by this Thursday.\u00A0\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"31 May 2022","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of HM The Queen","url":"#","newWindow":false}],"id":48698,"nodeName":"Shining lights: 87 Scout Groups prepare to light Platinum Jubilee beacons","title":"Shining lights: 87 Scout Groups prepare to light Platinum Jubilee beacons\u00A0","type":"newsItem","image":{"url":"/media/17642/jubilee-beacon-image.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd1ddce810","caption":"Jubilee Beacon Glowing","type":"jpg","size":110066,"width":750,"height":750,"altText":"A beacon glowing alight with a golden flame, with golden fireworks in the background"},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Shining lights: 87 Scout Groups prepare to light Platinum Jubilee beacons\u00A0","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Find out more about how Scouts from across the UK and overseas will be lighting their Platinum Jubilee beacons","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODY5OCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/may/shining-lights-87-scout-groups-prepare-to-light-platinum-jubilee-beacons/"}