Okehampton Town Council and Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council have joined forces this year to provide a bumper weekend of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The weekend will kick off with a Hamlets-organised Jubilee Beacon at the Okehampton Show Field on Thursday, June 2, to mark the start of the celebrations.

The event will start at 7:30 pm, with the lighting of the beacon taking place at 9:45 pm with official tributes by a piper, cornet players and choir.

There will be refreshments, a bar and parking provided, but organisers ask that attendees bring a torch to the event.

On Friday, June 3, Okehampton residents are invited to Simmons Park to watch the Service of Thanksgiving live from St Paul’s Cathedral.

The ceremony will be available for all to watch on big screens provided by the Okehampton Recreation Community Association (OCRA).

The Pavilion in the Park will offer a special menu. Visitors will also get involved in a range of garden games outside.

The Saturday will see an action-packed day with a sports day, tree dedication and the zip wire opening all set to take place.

A Fields in Trust sports day will take place in Simmons Park at 10 am, followed by another Service of Thanksgiving at 2 pm and a tree dedication at 3 pm.

The council will officially open the new zip wire at 3:15 pm after the play equipment was vandalised over a year ago.

Afterwards, there will be the opportunity to enjoy a cream tea and entertainment from local groups, including performances from the Footsteps School of Dance and a junk band music workshop run by Wren Music.

On the final day of celebration — Sunday, June 5, the Okehampton Rotary Club will hold its May Fair which was postponed this year in order to coincide with the Queen’s Jubilee.

The fair, which will take place in Simmons Park, will feature all the usual entertainment such as the well-loved duck races.

This year, in honour of the Queen’s 70-year reign, there will be six duck races with £100 available for the winner of each race.

The day will also include music, dancing, stalls and the chance for a picnic in the park.

Anyone wearing a home-made Jubilee hat is in for the chance to win £75.

Rotarians will be selling ducks for the duck races between 10 am and 3.30 pm outside Waitrose on May 27 and at the same time on May 28. There will also be the opportunity to buy ducks on June 4 when Rotarians will be at Red Lion Yard, Okehampton.

Ducks can also be purchased at Dogberry & Finch, Godrey Short & Squire, and Country Lanes Garden Centre.