Diamond Jubilee: Alcester marks Jubilee with Olympics-themed parade

Residents of Alcester have been taking part in a second day of celebrations

Residents of Alcester continued their Diamond Jubilee celebrations while many more street parties were held across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Hundreds of people were in the market town for the second day of its Best of British weekend which took over the High Street.

All the shops were decorated and an Olympics-themed fancy dress parade took centre stage.

Parties were also held in Dulverton Avenue and Knoll Drive in Coventry.

John and Bronwen Bunting in the parade at Alcester. Mr Bunting helped to create the town's Jubilee mug

'Be really proud'

The street market in Alcester attracted hundreds of people who packed into High Street for the celebrations.

There was red, white and blue in the shop windows, in the bunting across the street and in the clothes of many who were there.

Dawn Chambers of Brackley, Northamptonshire, was visiting the Alcester area for the weekend.

She said: "The street party is wonderful. A lot of hard work has gone into it."

The charity street market was named Alcester to Athens and many people in the fancy dress parade were dressed as Greek Goddesses and Olympians.

Nick Payne won the adult category in the fancy dress competition, dressed as ski jumper Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, who famously competed for Great Britain in the 1988 Winter Olympics, and six year-old Annabelle Wolverson won the under-10s section.

Six-year-old Annabelle Wolverson was awarded a certificate as a prize in the fancy dress competition

There was also the ancient tradition of beer testing, where beer is tested "to check it is fit for human consumption."

John Bunting, whose family has been involved in the annual street market for generations, said it was "fantastic" and the weather had been better than last year.

The street market was opened by Canon Capron, who is leaving Alcester for Stratford-upon-Avon.

Visiting from America

Street parties were also held across Coventry, including Knoll Drive.

Resident Ann Richards, who has lived in the street for 25 years, was wearing a union flag dress for the occasion.

"I wanted to celebrate the jubilee as a drive and to enjoy the day with our friends and neighbours," she said.

Karen Nield (centre) came from America to celebrate in Coventry

Karen Nield came over from South Carolina in the United States to join in with the festivities in Knoll Drive.

She said: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's a thrill to be here.

"I didn't want to watch it in the States. I had to be in England."

There were also parties at Two-Tone Village on Ball Hill in Coventry and at Upton House in Warwickshire.

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