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    Ceremonial beacon lit to mark Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

    Posted 6 June 2022

    “The evening was a wonderful tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, and has formed part of a series of Platinum Jubilee events in which Harper Adams University has taken part across our region this year. Bringing communities together has been an enduring feature of Her Majesty’s reign so it is only fitting that it is a priority for the Platinum Jubilee Weekend Celebrations. We have worked to ensure we could share the beacon lighting with both our University and wider community."

    Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, Harper Adams Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ken Sloan, and beacon designer Sam Scales look at the beacon alight during the ceremony.

    Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, Harper Adams Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ken Sloan, and beacon designer Sam Scales during the beacon lighting ceremony.

    A ceremonial beacon – designed to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by a team of Harper Adams staff and students – has been lit at the Chetwynd Deer Park.

    The beacon was one of more than 2,022 which were lit across the country on Thursday, June 6 as part of the long weekend of Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.

    The closed ceremony for its lighting was shared with both the Harper Adams and wider community via a dedicated event page and can be watched again here:

    The beacon was designed by M Eng Automotive Engineering student Sam Scales, who worked alongside a team from the Harper Adams Engineering society, the Harper Adams Engineering and Estates teams, and more to prepare it for the evening.

    After several months’ work, a finalised design which includes a crown and an etched version of the Harper Adams University coat of arms was agreed, produced and tested – and at precisely 9.45pm, the beacon was lit.

    The ceremonial lighting took place at the same point as thousands of others across the country, each a marker of Her Majesty The Queen’s long and selfless service.

    Invited guests, including Harper Adams Vice-Chancellor Professor Ken Sloan, members of the Newport and District Agricultural Society, and the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, were among those who took part in the evening’s celebration.

    Professor Sloan said: Professor Sloan said: “The evening was a wonderful tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, and has formed part of a series of Platinum Jubilee events in which Harper Adams University has taken part across our region this year.

    “Bringing communities together has been an enduring feature of Her Majesty’s reign so it is only fitting that it is a priority for the Platinum Jubilee Weekend Celebrations. We have worked to ensure we could share the beacon lighting with both our University and wider community.

    “The beacon which our students and staff have helped design looks fantastic –combining creativity and ingenuity.  We’re hoping to also be able to put it on display next month at our stand at the triumphant return of the Newport Show.”

    Newport and District Agricultural Society President, Neil Furniss, added: “It was an absolute delight to watch the reaction of the crowd to the lighting of the beacon, and to see it alight with the Shropshire landscape spread out beyond.

    “We are very pleased to have brought our community together for such a wonderful event, and I’d like to thank everyone who organised and attended what was a fantastic celebration for Her Majesty.”

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