Round-up of Coronation Celebrations in North Somerset

Portishead

Portishead’s main coronation celebrations will be happening three weeks after the national event in early May. In fact, the date of the free family event, titled the Portishead Penny Coronation Festival and organised by Portishead Town Council, is Saturday, May 27 and promises to inject some spring fun into the community. Residents and visitors to the town are invited to Portishead Show Field from 11am for a slice of the action and where live music will be a central part of the revelries.

Kicking off the on-stage entertainment at 1pm, is the lively tribute band The Twerzels, who, no doubt will warm up the crowds with their foot-tapping and jolly West Country themed tunes. The local band, Esplanade Road will follow at 2pm, before a series of performances from senior students, adults and tutors of The Rock Project who will take to the stage from 3pm onwards. Expect to see groups from Frampton Cotterell, Nailsea, Ashton, Clevedon and Portishead, along with the adult group Encore, and the tutors who will perform at the final showdown.

A spokesperson for the Rock Project said: “We're delighted to be back at Portishead Show Field this May so all our senior students, who are aged 11-18, can perform live on stage to thousands of people at the Portishead Penny Coronation Festival. We will also have a special set from some of our tutors at the end, so do stick around for that! Do come along and support us if you can.”

Aside from the live music, there will be plenty of stalls to browse around plus a wealth of traders will be selling tasty food and drink. In keeping with its title, entry to the festival is one penny which will go to local charity groups.

Clevedon

In Clevedon, the heart of all the coronation action will be at Clevedon Pier on Sunday, May 7, where a full day of entertainment is lined up, from 11am to 10pm. This historic venue is a suitably appropriate place for a royally themed celebration and eleven hours of lively entertainment is sure to brighten proceedings. During the day, pier favourites will take to the stage including the Barnacle Buoys with their a cappella sea shanty songs. Members of Clevedon Rock Choir will be eager to impress the audience as will the cast of Tillie’s School of Performing Arts. To finish, there will be a fun show from Bristol’s finest, and silliest, pirate themed, folk-rock sing-a-long band. In addition to the live music and dancing, family fete games will be on offer, dapper magician Sebastian Farr will provide tableside magic, and Andrew Nicholls the ‘typewriter bloke’ will be around too.

When it comes to time for replenishment, partygoers will not go hungry as the Glass Box restaurant will be open and serving delicious hot takeaway food, such as seaside favourite fish and chips, while the Pagoda will be open for ice-cream, cakes, drinks and other takeaway items.

Visitors to Clevedon Pier can choose to have exclusive use of a table for the day, although there is limited availability. A table, for six people, can be booked for up to five hours on the day, from 11am to 4pm, at a cost of £30 per table. Each table will be appropriately decorated to celebrate this iconic occasion.

At the evening ticket-only event, there will be a great opportunity to dance the night away and listen to live music. The headline act is North Somerset rock n roll band, The Frogs, playing a raft of upbeat tunes, and the supporting acts are the Jazz and Blues Band, Lloyd Cook and Burns, plus pop rock singer, Mike Bess.

Drinks can be bought from the mobile bar and hot food will be available from the Glass Box takeaway at the end of the pier.

A magnificent firework display is set to finish the evening of coronation celebrations. Tickets for the evening’s entertainment cost £20 each.

Nailsea

A special community fayre to celebrate the coronation of King Charles is to be held in Nailsea on Saturday, May 6, between 12pm and 4pm. Nailsea Town Council has unveiled exciting plans to stage a special community event to mark the occasion and wants the whole community to get involved. Working in partnership with Praxis Retail, owners of the Crown Glass Place shopping centre, the organisers are inviting the whole town to join in as they put up the flags and celebrate the momentous occasion.

Local groups and organisations are invited to set up stalls in the High Street and Somerset Square and possibly even Colliers Walk, depending on the interest received.

Nailsea’s community wellbeing officer, Jess Brown, said; “We are planning plenty of family fun including face painting, welly wanging, tombolas, lucky dips and hook-a-duck as well as stalls and charity stands.”

Nailsea Town Council is also looking into the possibility of providing coronation keepsakes for children living in the town. Jess added: “This will be an opportunity for local businesses too, with all the local eateries joining in and retailers setting up promotions outside their shops.”

It is expected that there will be a variety of community led games and stalls throughout the High Street and town centre, as well as live entertainment happening throughout the afternoon. Some of the fun activities lined-up include a free circus skills workshop and a community fancy dress parade.

Jess added: “We expect to have live music and street entertainment and will be inviting the police and fire service to display their vehicles and engage with the public. It’s all about bringing the community together with a real feel-good theme.”

The organisers are aware that many people will be watching the coronation in the morning so hope that by holding the fayre in the afternoon, many Nailsea businesses and groups will be able to benefit from the event.

Other coronation events happening in Nailsea, include a Coronation Open Day at Nailsea Bowls Club at the Mizzymead Recreation Centre on Sunday, May 7, from 2pm to 4.30pm and Nailsea Tennis Club is also hosting a Coronation Open Day – on Sunday, May 7 from 11am until 4pm. The family-friendly, fun-filled day will feature a raft of children’s entertainment including a magic show, a puppet show, a mini disco, bouncy castle, face painting, a football shootout, and outdoor games.

Brockley

A ‘Bring Your Own Coronation Picnic’ event has been planned for Brockley residents and their families on Monday, May 8 in the orchard field at Brockley Manor Farm. Organisers are using the coronation as a great opportunity to host a community event as the last similar occasion was held around 30 years ago. In keeping with a quintessentially English spring event, there will be marquees, perfect in case of inclement weather, and a gas barbeque where everyone is being encouraged to bring, and cook, their own sausages, burgers and so forth. Several stalls will be dotted round the site selling delicious cake, local produce and plants. Traditional games such as skittles, rounders and a horse-racing game are sure to spur those with a competitive spirit into action. Other fun activities will include a Pin the Crown on the King game, a table-top quiz and a tombola.

The coronation event has been funded thanks to financial support from the Bristol Airport Community Fund, Brockley Stores and the Blakemore Foundation.

Yatton

To celebrate the coronation of King Charles III, Yatton Parish Council is warmly inviting its residents and visitors to its Party in the Park on Monday, May 8. All the action kicks off from 2pm onwards at Hangstones Pavilion and playing field, when people will be encouraged to come along with their picnics, blankets and chairs to enjoy the convivial atmosphere and entertainment. At the free event there will be live music, refreshments and a raffle, and the children will be occupied with fun activities, plus there are the usual play areas and zip wires for them to enjoy in the field.

Claverham

This year, Claverham's showpiece event in May will be combined with the coronation celebrations. Usually, the hamlet goes to town with its seasonal May event that sees Maypole dancing, a procession and a dog show at the village hall. To mark the royal occasion there will be music, and fun and games for all the family along with cream teas.

Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare’s royal celebrations will happen on Sunday, May 7, with a Coronation Picnic in Grove Park between 1pm and 5pm. The free event has been organised by the community group Friends of Grove Park, and is supported by St Monica’s Trust, the Quartet Community Foundation and North Somerset Council.

The main hub of the entertainment will come from the bandstand where amazing live music will be performed by local singers, choirs and bands such as the Weston Operatic Society, Stagecoach, Marvin the Jazz Man, The Steepholmers, the Rock Choir and Weston Brass, throughout the day. The public are freely invited to go along and listen to the bands and bring a picnic.

Away from the bandstand, several local artists will run creative art and crafts workshops for families, plus there will be a tombola, a plant stall, an ice-cream van and Sprout Cafe will be serving food and drink.

It is hoped the coronation picnic will kick off a programme of wellbeing activities designed with senior residents in mind. The Friends of Grove Park will be organising sessions of outdoor tai chi and yoga throughout the summer months as well as coffee mornings and volunteering sessions.

IN STANDOUT BOX

Clevedon engraver creates Coronation plaque

A Clevedon-based engraving company has designed a commemorative plaque to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III.

Brunel Engraving has designed the plaque to allow local businesses, organisations, charities, councils, trusts and companies the chance to remember the royal event. The plaque features the coronation emblem that combines the national flowers of the four nations of the United Kingdom: the English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh daffodil and the shamrock of Wales. The plaque can be made unique with the addition of text or logos.

Tom Pycock, sales director at Brunel Engraving, said: “The King’s coronation is a major event which people all over the country will be celebrating.

“We as a company wanted to create something to mark this important piece of history."