What’s on this weekend and soon
Lots of celebrations this weekend for the Queen’s official birthday to mark her arrival at the big nine-0.
Trooping the Colour – Horse Guards Parade – Saturday 11 June
Carried out on Horse Guards by fully operational troops from the Household Division (Foot Guards and Household Cavalry), Trooping the Colour is a military tradition that dates back to the early eighteenth century. It’s an opportunity for some seriously impressive marching manoeuvres and a fantastic opportunity for royalty spotting (other members of the royal family attend, as well as the sovereign). For many years the Queen strutted her stuff on horseback but these days she travels by carriage. After the parade, the Royals head back to Buckingham Palace for balcony photo shoots and there’s usually a fly-past at 1:00pm to wind things up. You can watch along the Mall or from the edge of St James’s Park for free but you’ll need to arrive well before events begin at 10:00am to be far enough forward to get a good view.
River procession to mark the Queen’s Birthday – Saturday 11 June
To mark the Queen’s official birthday, a procession of motorised vessels will take place from Tower Bridge to Westminster Bridge, and back again. Between Westminster Bridge and Lambeth Bridge, the procession will turn and be joined by Waterman’s Cutters before proceeding outward bound transiting the number 4 arches. The procession will arrive in the Upper Pool at approximately 12:55 to coincide with the Tower of London Gun Salute at 13:00. The detailed timings of the event are as follows:
10:50 Procession forms up at Wapping
11:05 Procession underway passing Tower Bridge and taking No.2 arches, with the exception of Blackfriars Bridge
11:50 Procession arrives at Westminster Bridge – start of River Closure. Watermans Cutters are escorted from inside Westminster Pier into the closure area.
12:30 River re-opened to navigation between Westminster Bridge and Lambeth Bridge. Procession returns downriver taking No. 4 arches.
12:55 Procession arrives at Tower of London and proceeds through centre arch at Tower Bridge to dispersal.
And something different – World Naked Bike Ride Day – Saturday 11 June
A protest against oil dependency and the way the cult of the car dominates contemporary life; World Naked Bike Ride Day is also an unfettered celebration of individuality of the human body. Many people opt to bike in the buff, though full nudity is optional; but do remember – no one should get naked before the official start of the ride. The organisers will once again arrange body-painting stations so you can adorn your naked self with colourful patterns and slogans. The exact route for 2016’s World Naked Bike Ride is still to be decided but there will be six start points again: West Norwood, Clapham Junction, Tower Hill, Kings Cross, Regents Park, and Hyde Park. For details and updates visit the World Naked Bike Ride website.
Highgate Fair – Pond Square – Sunday 12 June – 12:30pm
A day of fun for (and run by) Highgate locals, with so much on the bill you’ll be hard pressed to fit it all in. Traditional British fete activities – sheep shearing, Punch and Judy shows, fairground rides – feature alongside street food and steel bands. Kids can fill their day with circus-skills workshops; activities in the creative play tent and face painting. Free
Trafalgar Square – Sunday 12 June- 12 noon
Celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday in Trafalgar Square with live coverage of the Patrons Lunch, cooking demonstrations from M&S and have-a-go sports corners.
Meltdown Circus Day – Southbank Centre – Sunday 12 June
Watch astonishing feats or learn a new skill at Meltdown with performers including The Majorettes, Upswing and professional slack ropewalker and juggler Stefano Di Renzo.
Other Camera Club Events
Selsdon Camera Club on Friday 10 June at 7:45pm is hosting ‘An Evening with Matthew Emmett’. The title of Matthew’s talk is Rediscovering our Forgotten Heritage. £5 admission on the door. Methodist Halls, 102 Limpsfield Road, Sanderstead CR2 9EE. Satnav Post Code is CR2 9LG
National Trust Photography Competition
Photograph one of your favourite NT landscapes and share it with them. Pro photographer or not – it really doesn’t matter. The winning picture will become the cover of the 2017 Handbook and be seen by more than 4.5 million people. The winner will also receive a state-of-the-art Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 camera. Their judges are looking for an image that sums up the spirit of the landscape you’re in and what it means to you. Perhaps it’s a sense of calm as you look out over rolling pasture, or excitement as waves lash over a towering cliff face. Maybe you love to see colourful displays of summer flowers, or your children running through woodland.
To be in with a chance of winning, please read the following information carefully:
- The photo needs to be landscape orientation, as the winning image will wrap around the front and the back of the Handbook.
- Your picture needs to be taken outdoors on National Trust land.
- It can be taken at any time of day and at any time of year.
- It can have people, animals and buildings within it, but the judges will be looking for an image that gives an overall sense of the place it was taken in.
- If you choose to include people, you’ll need their written consent to be included.
- Your file should be submitted as a compressed jpeg up to 10MB in size (Maximum of 4,000 pixels in length/300dpi)
- The file name should include your name, surname and the name of the property it was taken at. e.g. NAME_SURNAME_PROPERTYNAME.jpeg
RPS Distinctions Advice Sheet
If you are interested please see the below sheet prepared by Richard Walton, FRPS.
PAGB e-News No. 164 and 164 extra
To read the latest issues please click on this link www.pagbnews.co.uk