The search is on to find the Queen’s birthday twin to light a beacon in Ipswich for her birthday.

Ipswich Star: Chairman of Suffolk County Council Jeremy Pembroke lighting a beacon at the councils headquarters in Ipswich to mark the Queens Diamond JubileeChairman of Suffolk County Council Jeremy Pembroke lighting a beacon at the councils headquarters in Ipswich to mark the Queens Diamond Jubilee

When Her Majesty turns 90 on April 21 this year flaming beacons will be lit all around the country as a mark of celebration.

Ipswich will be no different with the town’s borough council setting one up in Christchurch Park.

It will be lit in a special ceremony with invited VIPs and other guests, but one special attendee is yet to be chosen – the lighter of the beacon.

The council has decided the most fitting way to ignite the torch will be to get someone who shares the same date of birth as the Queen, April 21, 1926, to do the honours.

Mayor of Ipswich, Glen Chisholm, said: “On Her Majesty’s big day we would like to say ‘Happy Birthday, Ma’am’ in a really special way.

“I hope we can find someone to join us at Christchurch Park for the lighting of this royal beacon.

“So if you were born on the same day as The Queen please get in touch with the Ipswich Star.”

As well as the beacon lighter themselves the ceremony is looking for people born over the weekend of June 1-4, 2002, the weekend of Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee, to be VIPs at the event.

Ipswich MP Ben Gummer said: “I think this is a lovely idea.

“Her Majesty is not only an enormously admired head of our nation but she is also a symbole of how the older generation are rightly feeling more and more confident about the contribution they can continue to make to the life of a community.”

Marketing and media manger at Age UK Suffolk, Rosie Porter, said: ‘It’s great to see people getting involved and marking the occasion in so many different ways.

“At Suffolk Age UK we work with older people, many of whom, like the Queen, are still enjoying their independence later in life.

“This is a great opportunity for someone who shares the same birthday as the Queen to light the beacon and a to be at the centre of this memorable occasion.

“There are approximately 153,000 people over the age of 65 in Suffolk so hopefully there will be someone who shares her birthday who can do the honours.”

Other events will be held around the time of the Queen’s official birthday on June 11.

If you, or a friend or relative, share the Queen’s birth date of April 21, 1926 and would like to be considered for the beacon lighting contact the Ipswich Star by: Calling 01473 230023; emailing newsroom@archant.co.uk; or writing to Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1AN.