GOLDEN Jubilee celebrations in Sproughton look set to wow the crowds as a packed programme of village events.Sproughton was one of ten lucky winners to benefit from a share of the £5,000 prize money that we offered towards the cost of celebrations in association with British Gas.

GOLDEN Jubilee celebrations in Sproughton look set to wow the crowds as a packed programme of village events.

Sproughton was one of ten lucky winners to benefit from a share of the £5,000 prize money that we offered towards the cost of celebrations in association with British Gas.

Chair of the Sproughton Golden Jubilee Committee Liz Bennett was clearly delighted to scoop the £500.

She said: "The money will help a great deal. We would have been pushed to fund all these activities without the money given to us by the Evening Star and British Gas. We are very grateful for their help and some of the money will be put towards some fireworks on Monday."

"The parish council has helped a certain amount but the rest of the money is self funding and being generated from the events themselves."

A series of events have been planned to mark the Golden Jubilee weekend as Sproughton joins in the rest of the country in celebrating the occasion.

The fun starts on Saturday June 1 with a five-a-side football competition and a mini-fete on the village Sports Field from 2pm

Festivities continue into Sunday with an open event at Sproughton Bowls Club at 10am and special service of thanksgiving at All Saints' Church at 11am led by Reverend Chris Wingfield.

At 7pm a Royal Variety Performance presented by Sproughton Players in association with Two Rivers Theatre Company is being staged at the Tithe Barn, Lower Street, Sproughton.

A fancy dress competition, face painting, bouncy castle, mini sports and various games' stalls will entertain the crowds on the Millennium Green.

A family picnic will take place from 3pm to 5pm and people are invited to bring their own food. Hot and cold drinks and ice creams will be available.

The Queen will be on hand to judge the fancy dress and the 'Best Decorated Building' competition later on in the afternoon.

The theme for the fancy dress is 'The Golden Jubilee' and children are invited to dress up as royalty or in gold clothes. There is no charge for entry and there will be prizes for the winners and rewards for all the children who enter.

Villagers are also invited to decorate their buildings in red, white and blue to mark the occasion.

In the evening there will be a music and fireworks celebration with Steve Springett, host of 'Drivetime' on Classic Gold Amber Radio, playing music past and present. Audience participation will be high on the agenda with various quizzes and free CDs to be given away.

Also appearing will be local band Lightbody, who will be playing a mixture of cover songs and their own material.

At 10.15 pm a bonfire will be lit as part of the national beacon chain and followed by a fire work display.

Barbecued burgers and hot dogs from local butcher George Debham will be on sale as well freshly cooked fish and chips from the 'Flying Friar'. To wash it all down the Wild Man pub is running a licensed bar until 11pm.

It is clear from the hectic programme of events that there exists a strong desire among the villagers not to let the occasion pass without celebration.

Golden Jubilee Committee chair Liz Bennett said: "We think it is very important to celebrate the jubilee and it is going to be a huge community event. We have had help from all kinds of village groups and many of them are running a stand on the green on Monday."

"The jubilee celebrations have really brought together the village with lots of people doing different things."

Initial ideas for the festivities were first hatched in October last year. The first meeting to discuss ideas took place on January 17 and was attended by 20 people. From the meeting a committee of ten was formulated and since then they have not looked back.

Mrs Bennett added: "We are really looking forward to it and it is going to be very exciting."

For an entry form for the 'Best Decorated Building' competition call 01473 747600.

For tickets for the Royal Variety Performance on Sunday call 01473 742766.