In 1977 it was the Queen's Silver Jubilee, and the village went to town in celebrating it. There was a competition to decorate the house with as much patriotic bunting as you could find. I think Den Atherton at The Cock got first prize for that.

The night before the big day there was a very large firework display at Great Thurlow Hall; it cost thousands apparently and most of the village was there. I have very vivid memories of this night, as it was the first time I had seen anyone drunk. This was mainly the result of a special strong beer that had been brewed for the event called, unsurprisingly, "Jubilee".

On the big day we all congregated at Great Thurlow Hall for the procession. My cousin, Sharon Atherton, was chosen as the Rose Queen, and I found it very hard to take her seriously in this role, as I knew what she was like under the mass of ribbons and bows. She had a wicked sense of humour, but there she was, dressed as little Miss Innocent, being chauVeur driven in a Rolls Royce to the event, only then to be stuck up high on a podium of an old farm lorry!