Model railways and 1940s weekends to parades and street parties - weather fails to deter jubilee celebrations around Sleaford

The third and fourth days of this epic bank holiday weekend to mark the Queen’s Jubilee may not have been quite so sunny and dry as the first two, but that did not deter people around Sleaford and district from celebrating and having fun.

Having a right Royal knees up at the street party in Cobblers Way, Sleaford, from left - Mike Bates, Joan Windever and Babs Thomson.

Things kicked off on Saturday with huge numbers of visitors to the 1940s day staged at William Alvey School in partnership with Sleaford Town Council.

There were lots of people in period costume for the contest and authentic entertainment from singer Fiona Harrison, Kesteven Morris Dancers and Billy Biscuit’s Punch and Judy show. But there were also wartime vehicles on display, traditional fun fair games and lots of stalls to look at. The tours of the school’s renovated wartime air raid shelter was a big draw as well.

Visitors came in droves to see 21 different layouts at Sleaford Model Railway Society’s show, at St George’s Academy.

Cobblers Way street party organisers Cathy Roberts and Sarah Carter with cake making winner Lynn Green (centre).

At the Duke of Wellington in Leasingham there were traditional fun fair games such as pin the tail on the Corgi, coconut shy and welly wanging to entertain the families, while there were more games and a street party at South Kyme, along with a duck race on the river and a parade with Queens of the Jubilee, Annabel and Elise riding in style on a trailer.

There was another parade through Metheringham leading to a fun day on the playing field for hundreds of villagers. Elizabeth Pearse, 10, was the carnival queen and special guests were actors James Hooton and Jeff Audley (Sam and Cain Dingle from Emmerdale) who helped pull a few pints. There was music and a car show as well as stalls and games.

Villagers were having fun at Billinghay playing field too for their fun day, featuring stalls, games, dancers and the BADass amateur drama group. People could plant a tree for the jubilee and win amazing cakes made by village business, Sisters That Cake.

The Big Jubilee lunch saw communities coming together for food, music and fun for friends and neighbours. Cobblers Way residents in Sleaford held their street party with lots of bunting on Saturday afternoon.

Fun at the street party in Cobblers Way, Sleaford on Saturday.

The rain did force one or two parties to cancel on Sunday such as Heckington and Wilsford, but others moved indoors to halls or under gazebos, such as the garden party at Rauceby Hall, thrown by Emma and Jonny Hoare. Some had their picnics in the parkland despite the rain, others shifted into the village hall.

An indoor street party and jubilee cake making competition was hosted at Great Hale village hall too, while the Mayor of Sleaford, Coun Linda Edwards-Shea, gave a speech, and supplied the trifle, at the start of the street party in Victoria Avenue in town, where there was also a fancy dress contest.

The rain did not put off hardy street parties at St Clement’s Road and Grange Close in Ruskington either. Grange Close residents Emma Boxall and Glyn Hall organised their barbecue event, leafleting the neighbours and getting 78 residents to chip in for food.

Glyn said: “The butcher at Leasingham Manor farm shop gave me a great discount and supplied 80 sausages, burgers and kebabs and he was brilliant. We got everyone to put up gazebos, played the National Anthem and we all sang along before toasting the Queen.”

Fancy dress for the street party in Victoria Avenue in Sleaford on a rainy Sunday. From left - Sarah Walker, Rosie and John Parry.

Families and neighbours enjoying a rainy street party on Grange Close in Ruskington.

Glyn Hall and Emma Boxall serving up burgers at the street party in Grange Close, Ruskington - despite the rain!

Cheers to the (knitted) Queen from residents of St Clement's Road, Ruskington.

Kicking off their rainy jubilee picnic at Rauceby Hall, Emma Hoare, Bridget Balderston, Jonny Hoare and Maria Avvakumova.

Under cover at the Rauceby Hall jubilee picnic, from left - Claire, Roger and Gillian Enstone.

Families enjoying a jubilee picnic in Rauceby village hall on Sunday.

BEM medal recipient Madge Atkinson and county councillor Andrew Key judging the cake competition at the jubilee indoor picnic at Great Hale village hall.

Jessica Scott, eight, Billy Scott, six, and mum Zoe Scott from Great Hale with their knitted corgi, Buster at the village indoor picnic.

Billinghay pool lifeguard Emily Farrow getting a drenching in the stocks from Ellis Gardner at the village's jubilee fun day.

A direct hit! Billinghay pool lifeguard Emily Farrow in the stocks at the village jubilee fund day on the playing field.

Planting a tree each for the jubilee. Alex and Merida, both aged eight, at Billinghay playing field.

BADass amateur theatre group members, from left - Tobias Downs, Iana Thewliss and Al Casement, in costume for their performance on stage at the Billinghay jubilee fun day.

Courtney Luther, of Sisters That Cake, with the three jubilee cakes she made for the raffle at Billinghay's celebrations.

Oliver Renaud having a go at the coconut shy during Leasingham's jubilee fun day.

Gill Brooke ran the 'pin the tail on the corgi' stall at Leasingham's jubilee fun day.

Bob Pleasance winds up for a shot at 'welly wanging' in Leasingham's jubilee fun day.

Bob Pleasance lets fly in the welly wanging at Leasingham's jubilee fun day.

Carnival queen, Elizabeth Pearse, 10, at the Metheringham jubilee parade and fun day.

Emmerdale actor James Hooton, who plays Sam Dingle, was helping behind the bar at Metheringham's popular jubilee carnival.

Rowan Ley, skipping while balancing on a ball in the circus skills area at Metheringham's jubilee carnival.

Robert Hartland of Elsham with his spooky beach buggy in the car show at Metheringham jubilee carnival.

The jubilee tractor parade around South Kyme on Saturday.

Queens of the jubilee parade at South Kyme - Annabel and Elise.

Frances Shearan and Charlie Benton, of Sleaford, at the 1940s Day at William Alvey School, dressed as representatives of the 1st Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment, who served in the Far East during the war.

All set for the period costume contest at Sleaford's 1940s Day, Mayor Coun Linda Edwards-Shea and Town Crier John Griffiths with Deborah Tyler-Bennett and Martyn Bennett.

Checking out the stalls at Sleaford 1940s Day, Terry and Lorraine Curtis of Anwick.

In costume for Sleaford 1940s Day. Amy Roberts and daughters Lillie, seven, and Kaicey, 10.

Singer Fiona Harrison performing for Sleaford 1940s day.

John and Alison Cole with Christina Gould of Crispy's Cakes and Bakes, from Sleaford, had a stall at the 1940s Day.

A packed house for the air raid shelter tour at William Alvey School.

Freya and Phoebe Smith demonstrate putting out and unexploded bomb with a stirrup pump at the 1940s Day.

Little Charlie Adams, aged four, wields the hammer to try and make the bell ring in the fun fair games at Sleaford 1940s Day.

Mark Bamford of Sleaford Model Railway Society with his own layout at the model rail show, one of 21 layouts on display plus trade stands at St George's Academy.

There were 21 layouts plus trade stands at the model rail show laid on by Sleaford Model Railway Society members and visiting clubs.

Wayne Bridgeman, a member of Sleaford Model Railway Society with his layout that he built during covid lockdown.

Expert modeller Tony Wright of Little Bytham, cleaning up the cylinder castings on a model Britannia locomotive at the model railway show in Sleaford.

Fixing a derailment on a layout at Sleaford's model rail show in St George's Academy. from left - Bill Sowerby of Market Deeping club, with Zak Harding and Peter Gray from the Sleaford club.

Helpringham jubilee street party on the village green. From left - Steve Turner, Alison Turner, Tess Taylor, Tracey Madden, Michael Hartley, Zoe Watson, Malcolm Ternouth, Bill Mainwaring, Ron Andrew and Paul Sharman.

Helpringham jubilee exhibition by the village's History Society in the Memorial Hall - Chris and Sue Payne of Helpringham.

From left - Lindsay Cousland and Christine Breckon at Helpringham jubilee exhibition by the History Society and street party.

Dot Brooke-Taylor at the Blankney Now and Then display in the old school for the jubilee.