Platinum Jubilee: Abingdon celebrates with bun throwing

The 5,000 buns were propelled down to the crowds in the square

Five thousand fruit buns were thrown off a roof into a town's market place to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

The buns, 4,500 plain and 500 piped with the number 70, were launched into crowds from Abingdon County Hall Museum on Sunday evening.

Buns have been thrown from the building to mark special events since the coronation of George III in 1761.

Yarnsy also created six woolly buns for BBC Radio Oxford which were thrown down among the fruit buns.

The Didcot-based yarn-bomber said she was "hugely honoured to be invited to take part".

She said: "I love anything that's a bit bonkers and a bit crazy so to be asked to do this has just been really lovely."

Yarn-bomber, Yarnsy, created six special crocheted buns for the jubilee

Crowds crammed into the market place chanting "we want buns" hoping to catch a doughy keepsake as they were launched off the roof at 17:00 BST.

The 5,000 buns, which were similar to a hot cross bun, were made locally by bakers at Millets Farm.

Kate Coles from the farm said the thousands of "perfectly edible" buns were baked "in the wee hours of Sunday morning" for the event.

500 of the Abingdon buns were piped with 70 to mark the Platinum Jubilee

Bun throwers use novel ways of propelling the buns far into the crowds from the roof including tennis racquets and catapults.

It was one of many events held across the south of England to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.