Town plans a spectacle for the Queen

WARRINGTON is to put on a spectacular show for the Queen when she visits the town on Thursday, May 17 to officially open the Orford Jubilee Community Hub.
Hundreds of children and young people from nearby schools will be providing old-time dance and sport displays and local groups and representatives will be holding a 1950s-style street party outside the new community cabin on the site.
Crowds will be entertained by a series of choirs and musical performances around the park while Royal Marines abseil off the roof of the hub building.
The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, will tour the newly completed £30 million building, taking in the new café, library and learning spaces before officially opening it to the public.
Prince Philip will then help local school children bury a time capsule at the site.
The Royal couple will be visiting Warrington as part of an ongoing tour of the regions to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.
Borough council leader Cllr Terry O’Neill (right) said: “The excitement is really building ahead of the Royal visit later this month and we hope as many people as possible come out to give her a warm Warrington welcome.
“It’s going to be a really special day that local people will remember for years to come.”
Diana Terris, chief executive of the council said: “Thursday May 17 will be a very special day for us. We have pulled out all the stops to give the Royal party a fantastic welcome and I hope the people of Warrington will be proud of what’s been arranged.”
It will be the Queen’s third visit to the borough; the last time she was here was in 1979 to open the new Golden Square shopping centre and the first time she visited was also on May 17 in 1968, to see the then newly renovated Bridge Street, shortly after Warrington was official designated a New Town.
The Orford Park Project is a unique £30m project and is widely regarded as an example of best practice in promoting joint service delivery, health and wellbeing, community safety, sustainable communities, lifelong learning and social and economic regeneration.
More than 20 national, regional and local organisations are actively involved in it. The project is led by Warrington Borough Council and it will be managed by LiveWire, a new community interest company in partnership with TONP (The Orford Neighbourhood Project), Warrington Collegiate, Warrington Wolves, William Beamont High School, Warrington Disability Partnership, Network Warrington and NHS Warrington.
The Orford Park Project is a London 2012 Inspire Mark Project and has been recognised as an Olympic Legacy Project – the only one outside London – for its commitment to delivering a tangible and long-lasting legacy from the Games, ensuring there are sporting, economic, cultural, and environmental benefits for the communities of Warrington for years to come.
From Friday May 18, Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub will be open for business, providing top-class sport, health, education, leisure and community facilities to the local community and beyond.
The outdoor areas also house a network of walking and cycling paths, new sports pitches; skateboarding and BMX cycle park; children’s play area; floodlit bowling greens and a new pavilion.