Video: Queen’s Yorkshire days recalled as gliders prepare Jubilee beacons

On the evening of Monday, June 4, a network of more than 4,000 beacons will light up the skies across the UK and Commonwealth.

But while some beacon-lighting ceremonies are being run at well-known locations by national organisations, some beacons lie far off the beaten track and have a quirkier story to tell.

One such beacon, organised by the Yorkshire Gliding Club, is being lit at Roulston Scar, next to the famous Kilburn White Horse in North Yorkshire.

At around 1,000 feet above sea level, views from the escarpment stretch across the Vales of York and Mowbray, providing a vantage point to spot other beacons in the distance.

Ken Arkley from the Yorkshire Gliding Club said that the organisation was “delighted” to be hosting such an event.

He added: “It’s a stunning spot on a good evening, to see the sun going down over Wensleydale..”

The airfield above the White Horse will be open to all, free of charge, from 7pm on the Monday night.

Entertainment will come from the “Moonshine Five” band, and there will also be refreshments.

Yorkshire Gliding Club chairman Graham Evison said: “Those of us who fly from here know how stunning the evening light and sunset can be from here and that, topped off with the lighting of the jubilee beacon, is just great.

“I wish to invite everyone to come and share the enjoyment of our vantage point for this historic event.”

Other remote locations to be hosting jubilee beacons next month include Rogan’s Seat at Keld, in Swaledale; and Roseberry Topping hill at one of the most northerly points on the North York Moors.

In East Yorkshire, Willow Tree Farm on Sunk Island, in the river Humber, is holding its own beacon-lighting ceremony.

Sunk Island started life as a sand bar but, by the reign of Charles I, had become an island as the channel separating it from the shore had silted up.

As the tiny community no longer has its own village hall, jubilee celebrations - complete with a beacon - will be held at Willow Tree Farm, home of farmer Bill Conner.

Mr Conner, 51, is looking forward to welcoming up to 300 people to his arable farm for the event.

He said: “The area around here is a Crown Estate, it’s all owned by the Queen, so you could say we’re quite well connected with the Royals.”

Before the lighting of the beacon itself, Mr Conner will be throwing a party complete with a band, a barbecue and a bouncy castle.

Meanwhile, a pub on the edge of Sheffield, with views over the Peak District, will also be having its very own beacon.

The Three Merry Lads at Lodge Moor is combining its beacon-lighting ceremony with a family fun day.

Pub owner Barry Croxall said: “The beacon has steadily been increasing in size over the last few weeks and currently stands at 18 feet tall.”

• Where to find Jubilee Beacons in Yorkshire: Complete list

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