Rallying call as Hartlepool residents plan Royal knees-up to mark Queen's 90th birthday

Arncliffe Gardens residents (left to right) Laura McCaffrey, Madje Longhorn (who was at the 1970s party) and Gemma Oliver who are organising the Queens birthday street party in Arncliffe Gardens. Photograph by FRANK REID

Residents in Arncliffe Gardens, Hartlepool, will celebrate the monarch’s official birthday on June 12, as part of a weekend of events to mark the anniversary.

The event’s planning is being led by Laura McCaffery, 34, who is married to John, 39, and Gemma Oliver, 34, who is married to Paul, 36, and are parents to Mollie, one, with Helen Rudd, 26, and husband Paul, 35, who are parents to Harry, 12, Freddie, six, Leo, five, and twins Lola and Evie, two, also helping.

Some of the street’s oldest residents lived in the road when it hosted a party in the 1977 in the Queen’s honour.

Manor Academy teaching assistant Laura, who is mum to twins Aidan and Dillan, five, said: “It will be very family-focused because there are a lot of children living in the street and we’re going to deck it out in bunting and it should be fantastic.

“The idea came from the street party it had the first time and we wanted to recreate that a bit and there are a lot of older people who still remember it and some of those neighbours were just babies or had just been born.”

In addition to games and a buffet set up by the locals, a live band will perform, with the set to feature plenty of hits from the 1970s.

The Queen's car (middle) driving along York Road during her 1970s visit to Hartlepool. Photograph by FRANK REID

Laura and Gemma hope the day will give people the chance to know each other better and have already been given permission to close of the street to traffic.

A bouncy castle will be set up for youngsters.

The event will run from noon until 7pm and is only open to Arncliffe Garden residents.

The Queen reached her 90th birthday on April 21, but she will celebrate her official birthday on Saturday, June 11.

The street party held in Arncliffe Gardens in the 1970s. Photograph by FRANK REID

The day before, she will attend a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London with the Duke of Edinburgh.

On the day itself, she will be accompanied by members of her family as she attends a birthday parade on Horse Guards Parade.

Sunday, June 12, will see her attend the Patron’s Lunch, a celebration of Her Majesty’s patronage of over 600 organisations in the UK and around the Commonwealth since 1952.

• Are you planning a street party to mark the Queen’s birthday, if so contact the Mail on 0191 5017471.