SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATION 1977
Introduction
The Silver Jubilee in 1977 of Queen Elizabeth II, twenty-five years after her accession to the throne in 1952, was celebrated in Effingham on the weekend of May 28th and 29th and was the focus of its 1977 Village Day.
Planning and Advertising
The celebrations were coordinated by Effingham Parish Council in discussion with numerous village organisations under the leadership of the Council’s Chairman Antony D. Page. The outline plan was then forwarded to the Effingham Residents and Ratepayers Association for distribution. In due course a more precise advertisement of the event’s dates and activities was produced. The two documents can be downloaded here as jpegs.
Official Programme
This four-page Programme was printed for the event and shows the large range of activities and the names of the many contributors.
Procession of Floats
The celebration on Saturday 28th began with a parade of floats. One of them portrayed the theme “Queens of England” and had been organized by the combined afternoon and evening branches of Effingham Women’s Institute.
The gallery below shows some of the floats as they were arriving from Browns Lane at the entrance to the KGV Playing Fields.
The main events on the KGV fields were opened on the Saturday at 2.30pm by the film and TV actor Mr. Tommy Godfrey. During the afternoon the children’s fancy dress parade was inspected by Mr. Godfrey together with resident Mrs. Rita James. Jubilee beakers were presented by actor Mr. Bill Pertwee who often took part in Effingham’s social events.
Among the many stalls was this one set up by Bernice Weatherly (in the red dress) to sell the specially-commissioned Effingham Jubilee beakers;
standing next to her (in the dark dress) is Betty (née Wells) Crouch.
Fancy Dress Competition
The fancy dress competition was judged by Mrs. Rita James and the well-known film, television and variety actor Mr. Tommy Godfrey. The gallery below shows some pictures of the contestants. More pictures of it appear in the 2011 compilation further down this page.
Compilation of Images and Notes
This compilation was assembled in April 2011 using such images and facts about the event as we possessed at that time. They are distinct from all those seen above.
Later Events
Silver Jubilee Garden
This community garden next to Crossways in the centre of the village is now owned by Effingham Housing Association. It used to be the village green in front of the old alms houses which were later renovated to provide rented homes for elderly residents. EHA dedicated the garden to public use in 1977 and named it the Silver Jubilee Garden.
Hobbies Competition
As part of the 1977 celebrations a Hobbies Competition was held on November 19th. Each exhibitors received a certificate signed by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Effingham Parish Council. The jpeg shows an example.
