Recipe for a Great Summer Afternoon
Celebrating the Royal Wedding

Ingredients

         A great idea

         A lot of determination

         A clear vision

         Many enthusiastic volunteers

         A lot of tables

         A variety of music

         Bags of fun and laughter

         Infrastructure and insurance as required

         Several generous local companies

         Loads of publicity from friendly Media

         Warm sunny weather

         A great positive community spirit

Cooking Instructions

First take your idea and vision, think about it, visualise it, and wonder if everyone will like it?  Don’t be put off, and then mix in the determination to succeed.

Stir in the key ingredients: insurance, local company generosity, media publicity and some of the community spirit.

Now wait.  When the time is right, add the volunteers and the tables, then the sunshine, and more media, followed by the rest of the great positive community spirit, not forgetting the fun and laughter as well as the music.

The result should be the best street party ever!!!

The scene on Town Street during the party

Many people will remember for a very long time the Marple Bridge Association Royal Wedding Street Party, which took place on 29^th April 2011 to celebrate the wedding of our future King Prince William, to Catherine Middleton.

It all started off as just an idea to do something in the street on the wedding day, in December 2010, shortly prior to our annual Winter Wonderland event.  As February 2011 approached, the idea had crystallised into a clear and precise vision of a traditional street party, in order to celebrate this once in a life time event. 

After a check on how many people might attend we got the admin in order: insurance, road closures, and so on...

With the tickets printed by the end of February, and fast disappearing, we started to realise just how popular an event it would be, that we were preparing for. This became all the more apparent when I was driving to Romiley one Tuesday morning.  An ‘0161 832’ number flashed up on my mobile.  Fumbling with a hands free kit, I pulled over and took the call, expecting it to be my office calling.  “Is that Gareth White?” the voice enquired, before going on to explain that they were calling from ITV Granada Reports and they’d like to do a feature on our street party.   This call was followed in swift succession by enquiries from BBC News 24, BBC North West Tonight, Sky News, Manchester Evening News, Key 103, Capital FM, and Pure Radio.

As the end of April drew nearer, week by week, we got more and more things sorted out.  Many local companies and people did us great favours by helping out with the event, by sparing us their time, and offering us their products and services. All for nothing or at cost!

Come the week of the event, every day was spent in further preparation: collecting vehicles and tables, printing price lists, security badges, and so on...

As the big day arrived, Karl Guare, MBA Chairman, and I started out at 7am.  The kid’s rides and the catering units arrived first of all, and then, after we’d been joined by an army of volunteers, began the mammoth task of preparing and positioning tables.  The last few hours before the start it was fantastic seeing nearly 5 months of work come together, after we’d closed the road, and put up the bunting and flags across the street, followed by the tables up the middle of the road.  People then started arriving and putting their own finishing touches to the tables and the street.  The end result was truly amazing.

Opening with our National Anthem at 2pm sharp, the party got off to a great start, with more patriotic music, followed by our Sax Quartet and then other musicians, including the fabulous Annali Hayward from the Post Office, and Sarah Allcard, to name two!

The atmosphere on the street could only be described as electric. We have received so many fantastic comments about the event, and loads of fabulous and sincere feedback from many people. The party is clearly going to be etched on their memory forever.

We look forward to future celebrations. Watch this space!

Gareth White

Marple Bridge Association Committee

Marple Bridge Association Launches New You Tube Channel

The MBA has created a new You Tube channel, known as Marple Bridge TV, on to which videos of events such as the upcoming Royal Wedding Street Party, and Winter Wonderland, will be uploaded. It is linked to the new MBA website, which you can visit here:

 
www.marplebridgeassociation.org.uk

Royal Wedding Street Party

Non-Ticket Holders Urged Not To Come

With all tickets having long since sold out, people without tickets are being asked not to attend this Friday’s “Town Street Royal Street Party”, which will take place in the centre of Marple Bridge, during the afternoon of the royal wedding day; Friday April 29^th. As there is a limit on the numbers, due to licensing, safety, and insurance reasons, anyone not holding a valid ticket will be reluctantly turned away. ‘We would love to let everyone in regardless, as we do at Winter Wonderland,’ said MBA Secretary Kevin Hart, ‘but we just can’t as the terms of the alcohol licence restrict our maximum numbers’. At an organiser’s meeting on Monday evening, it was decided that even people exercising their right to walk along Town Street, as it’s a public thoroughfare, will be escorted from one end to the other to make sure that they do not delay their journey, and hence swell the numbers attending.

Meanwhile the phenomenal success of the organisers in selling all 800 tickets is being recognised both regionally and nationally, with extensive coverage planned by the media. Sky News are planning to be in the village all day, with coverage starting during ‘Sunrise’, when they will commence by filming an interview with MBA chair Karl Guare, and continue by recording the preparations as they unfold throughout the morning, leading up to the actual party itself, after the royal couple have tied the knot.

Other TV coverage is planned by the BBC, North West Tonight’s Dave Guest is planning a visit; and ITV Granada Reports, who have already featured the village in a report televised on April 5^th. Meanwhile there has been extensive coverage in the local press, and now the national dailies and the Associated Press news agency are planning on covering the party.

The village’s celebration plans have received the Royal Seal of Approval. As part of the preparations, MBA Chairman Karl Guare and MBA Committee member Gareth White wrote to the Queen last month to tell her of the plans. Karl recently received a reply from Buckingham Palace, written by one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, saying how pleased Her Majesty is with the MBA’s efforts, and how she was interested to learn that, in recognition of Prince William’s and Prince Harry’s close association with the armed forces, any monies raised by the party will be donated to the Armed Forces charities ‘Help For Heroes’ and ‘Walking With The Wounded’.

Apart from being another wonderful chance for the village to show its rather special community spirit, whilst having fun celebrating the wedding of Britain’s future King and Queen, the party is also intended to raise money for the afore mentioned charities, which support injured British servicemen and women. All the media coverage will also really put Marple Bridge ‘on the map’. Town Street will be closed to traffic from 11am until 8pm. The usual traffic diversion for Winter Wonderland will be put in place to enable the road closure.

Marple Bridge Stores/Post Office, the Royal Scot, and Village Bride are all proud to be sponsoring the Royal Wedding Street Party.

New MBA Website

Marple Bridge Association Launches New Website

The MBA has launched a fabulous new website with details of all its various events and good works around the village. Although still very much a work in progress and not yet fully complete, you can check out the MBA’s latest news at: www.marplebridgeassociation.org.uk

Royal Street Party Completely Sold-Out

Royal Street Party Completely Sold-Out

Massive Media Coverage Because Marple Bridge Is Having One Of The Biggest And Best Organised Royal Wedding Street Parties In The North

The Royal Wedding Street Party has now completely sold out, with the last of the tickets going last weekend. As there is a limit on the numbers, due to licensing and safety reasons, people without tickets are being asked to check with the Marple Bridge Association website and notice boards, after Monday 10th April when the next organisers meeting will consider the issue, if they want to attend.

Meanwhile the phenomenal success of the organisers in selling all 600 tickets is being recognised both regionally and nationally, with extensive media coverage. Granada News, filmed in the village on Tuesday 5th April for that evening's programme, and interviewed MBA Chair Karl Guare and Committee member Gareth White about the preparations. The BBC, both regionally and nationally in the form of BBC News 24, have expressed an interest in filming the village's preparations for the event. Plus, there has also been extensive coverage in the local press.

Royal Seal of Approval

Royal Seal of Approval

For Marple Bridge’s Royal Wedding Street Party

The Royal Wedding Street Party being organised in Marple Bridge has received the Royal Seal of Approval. Planning and organisation for the Street Party is now almost complete, and, as part of the preparations, MBA Chairman Karl Guare and MBA Committee member Gareth White wrote to the Queen last month to tell her of the plans. Karl recently received a reply from Buckingham Palace, written by one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, saying how pleased Her Majesty is with the MBA’s efforts, and how she was interested to learn that, in recognition of Prince William’s and Prince Harry’s close association with the armed forces, any monies raised by the party will be donated to the Armed Forces charities ‘Help For Heroes’ and ‘Walking With The Wounded’.

A further letter has since been received from the office of Prince William and Prince Harry at St. James’ Palace, conveying the best wishes of Prince William and Miss Middleton, and their hopes that we all have a wonderful day.