Royal Celebrations

We rounded a week off in Yorkshire with a street party to celebrate the Royal Wedding. All in all, the day was really enjoyable. We'd watched the event itself on the TV, and it was good to see the sense of national unity for once, as 1 million people gathered in London to get a first hand look at the newly-weds.

From 3pm, Ilkley's own celebrations began with a party on the main street with food supplied by Betty's famous tea shop. The Town Cryer got things underway, with the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire also in attendance.

The street was covered with Union Flag bunting, and kids scooted up and down on their scooters with flags blowing in the breeze. In typically Yorkshire fashion, entertainment was provided by a brass band, although a rather self-indulgent musical director killed the party mood slightly by asking for quiet while they played a piece from Saving Private Ryan.

Overall though, the atmosphere was a happy one. Betty's involvement was clearly popular, as the queue was a lengthy one for at least 3 hours. The party lasted for around 5 hours, and even as I headed home around 5.30, there were still revellers arriving to enjoy the festivities, picnics in hand.

It's not often we get to see this sense of national celebration, reserved usually for jubilees or war victories, so it was nice to have been a part of it.