A TOTAL OF £94,000 is going to be spent on Jubilee celebrations in Colchester later this year.

The Government has already rearranged the bank holidays to allow for a four-day long celebration of the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, with Thursday, June 2, and Friday, June 3, both official bank holidays.

And Colchester Council will also be ensuring the jubilee is marked with £50,000 being allocated towards the refurbishment of the Victorian bandstand in Castle Park.

Other spending allocations include £15,000 for flags to decorate the High Street, and £10,000 for additional jubilee plants to decorate public gardens.

The Queen’s Green Canopy, a project to increase and protect the native tree cover, will see oak trees planted by parish councils and community groups at a cost of £4,200.

A further £3,000 will go towards the council’s Fixing the Link project – the public art plan which aims to improve the walking route from the train station into the town centre.

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The same amount will be spent on street party and jubilee information packs.

In addition, £500 each will be spent on planting a commemorative tree in Castle Park, running a self-guided treasure hunt in the town, and the development of a geo-tag for the jubilee.

That leaves approximately £7,300 to be spent on other projects where costs have not yet been calculated – these include the lighting of Castle Park beacon, a specialist street market or street party, and additional flags and bunting on North Hill.

The jubilee weekend will officially commence in Colchester with the gun salute in Castle Park, which will take place on Thursday, June 2.

Gazette: Mobbed – hundreds lined the streets when the Queen visited again in 2004Mobbed – hundreds lined the streets when the Queen visited again in 2004

People will be able to use a webpage set up by the council where they can add memories of the queen and submit photos of jubilee events.

Have you got any plans to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee? Email them to daniel.rees@newsquest.co.uk.