Video: Jubilee beacons light up the world

Where to see Jubilee beacons across Yorkshire

A crowd of people sang God Save The Queen as a beacon was lit in the town of Blenheim in Marlborough, New Zealand.

In Tonga a group of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides took part in a ceremony to light their country’s beacon, while Australian prime minister Julia Gillard will have the honour at Parliament House in Canberra.

The Queen will light the final beacon from the concert stage where Stevie Wonder, JLS, Sir Elton John and a host of stars will perform in her honour.

Bruno Peek, pageantmaster of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee beacons, said the number of communities who had registered to hold celebration bonfires was “truly amazing” and easily surpassed the 2,012 they hoped to attract.

After the pop stars have paid a musical tribute to the monarch in the shadow of Buckingham Palace, the Queen will walk out in front of the crowds and set the national beacon ablaze.

She will carefully place a diamond, made from crystal glass, into a special pod at 10.30pm, triggering the lighting of the last beacon nearby in The Mall.

Mr Peek, who organised the Golden Jubilee beacons in 2002, said beacons would be lit during the evening throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, the Commonwealth and other overseas territories.

He said: “We set out to have 2,012 beacons, which would have been the most ever for this type of occasion. To have reached double that figure reflects the national and worldwide respect and affection for the Queen and the desire to celebrate her 60-year reign.”

The network of beacons that will criss-cross the UK will be placed on historic landmarks, hill-top vantage points and famous mountains.

On Hadrian’s Wall 60 beacons will be lit in sequence - one for each year of the Queen’s reign.

The highest peaks of the UK’s four nations will be lit up to mark the 60-year milestone by teams from four charities.

Meanwhile, thousands of picnickers sat down to a feast in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The grounds were filled with ballot winners who have won tickets to the Monday evening show.

A sumptuous picnic was on offer filled with food created by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and the Queen’s royal chef Mark Flanagan.

Blumenthal is famous for his scientific approach to cooking while Mr Flanagan and his kitchen team catered for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding.

The gardens of the palace are used to hosting large garden parties in the summer and easily accommodated the 12,000 guests who will later watch the concert.

Out of those were 10,000 ballot winners and a further 2,000 people from charities associated with the Royal Family.

In bright summer sunshine the picnickers sat on the Queen’s lawn and opened their wicker baskets which contained tea-smoked Scottish salmon, a modern take on coronation chicken, and Sandringham strawberry crumble crunch.

There were also two cupcakes and a small cheeseboard with biscuits and chutney, among other items.

The food was washed down with a selection of drinks - Moet & Chandon champagne, Cobra beer and Hildon’s water.

Chefs from supermarket Waitrose worked with Blumenthal and Mr Flanagan in developing the menu.

In the hamper was a drinks token allowing guests to have either a glass of beer or bubbly.

But for one couple from Barnsley, champagne was the order of the day.

Irene and Shaun Doyle, both 67, were lucky ballot winners and travelled from their home for the big day.

Mr Doyle wasted no time in securing himself a glass of champagne then settled down with his wife on the lawn in the middle of thousands of other picnickers.

“Champagne reaches the parts that beer doesn’t,” he joked.

“The walk through that palace is unbelievable, it’s a dream. When the guy rang us I said ‘What are you on?’. We were just in the middle of our tea.”

Mrs Doyle said: “We said ‘Do you think it’s someone kidding us?’ but now I’m drinking champagne in the Queen’s garden.”