At 9.45pm on Thursday (2 June 2022), over 1,500 beacons are expected to be lit throughout the United Kingdom to mark the first time that a sovereign has marked a Platinum Jubilee.
The beacons will enable individuals, communities and organisations to pay tribute as part of the official Platinum Jubilee Weekend celebrations, which run from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June.
We’d like to take the opportunity to wish everyone in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes a Happy Platinum Jubilee, and also to encourage those organising or hosting beacons to follow some key safety advice to ensure everyone can celebrate safely.
“We hope people enjoy themselves as we unite to celebrate The Queens’ Platinum Jubilee, but we are also keen to ensure that everyone celebrates safely and minimises the risk of fire to property, businesses or local people whilst doing so.
“If you are responsible for hosting a beacon in your community, please follow the guidance set out, to ensure the event is remembered for the right reasons.”
Community Safety Manager, Joanne Cook – May 2022
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons 2022 (queensjubileebeacons.com) outlines everything you may need to know regarding the celebrations, including information on the different types of beacons and how to stay safe from fire.
Our advice is:
- If you are hosting your own private beacon, make sure the structure and base are stable and located away from fences, hedges or sheds.
- Only suitable materials are burnt – do not use an accelerant on a fire already lit.
- Do not light a beacon in very high winds.
- Do not hang bunting or decorations in an area where they may fall onto or be affected by a beacon.
- Keep children and pets away from the beacon.
- Keep a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergencies.
- Remember, embers will stay hot for a long time after the flames have been extinguished, ensure children and pets are kept away from them and that they are not placed in a bin or disposed of on a compost heap until they are completely cool.
- If you think a beacon or fire is dangerously out of control, do not attempt to tackle it yourself, call 999.
Joanne added:
You may see firefighters attending local street events and celebrations throughout the area while on duty. We look forward to celebrating with you, and ultimately we want everyone to be able to celebrate safely”.
Some people may be considering using fireworks or bonfires as part of their celebration. If that’s you, please:
- Ensure they are lit at arms length.
- Never return to lit fireworks – even if a lit firework has not gone off, it has the potential to!
- Ensure people stand well back.
- Fabric, paper and plastic materials used for bunting, costumes and table decorations are likely to be flammable, so please keep them well away from anything that has been lit.
- Keep pets safely indoors.
Due to the unpredictability of where sky lanterns will land, and the potential for them to start fires on other peoples’ property, we are keen to discourage people from lighting them.
We have provided links from this page to our safety tips for anyone who is considering using any of the following to help mark the Platinum Jubilee:
- Beacons
- Fireworks
- Sky lanterns
- Barbecues
- Bonfires
An online toolkit is also available to help you plan and celebrate: The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022
