However you chose to use the Royal Wedding double Bank Holiday long weekend I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly did! Along with many others in Ealing and across the country I experienced and enjoyed thoroughly a street party.

The Clarence Street, Southall Royal Wedding Street Party on 29th April was a huge success with hundreds of residents from all sections of the community enjoying a full day of celebrations. Clarence Street is the street where Kate Middleton’s grandfather and great grandparents once lived and I thought it would be an ideal location for a community celebration. I was assisted in the organisation of the day by Cllr Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council, Harry Randhawa of Aster Weddings and other local businesses including Southall Football Club, Pappa Joes, 4Ever Glazing, Chandni Chowk Restaurant, Poonam Restaurant, Domino Pizzas, Mohan Caterers, Ruby Restaurant and TKC Restaurant.

It was a wonderful day when the community came together to join in the Royal Wedding celebrations. Everyone was proud of the local connection with Kate Middleton’s family. Her grandfather and great grandparents lived at 57 Clarence Street and her mother and grandfather attended Featherstone High School. Everyone had a great time and it was a pleasure to see everyone enjoying themselves so much. 

A fifty foot lorry at the western end of Clarence Street provided a big screen and stage area on which residents were able to watch the Royal Wedding in the morning. Fireworks were lit when the happy couple were pronounced husband and wife.  This was followed by a re-enactment of a traditional Indian Wedding with a model bride and groom provided by sponsor Magazine Asian Bride. It included a Jaago dance, the Baarat arrival of the Groom on a white horse with a band and dhol drummers and the carrying of the bride in a Doli from 57 Clarence Street to the stage area. The celebrations ended with a number of Bhangra singers performing on the stage and some traditional Punjabi dancers.

The street party was a model for community success. Everyone worked in partnership together – residents, local businesses, the Police, St John’s Ambulance, the Council, and elected representatives. All communities from every race, religion and background came together for a united community celebration. There was not one untoward incident through out the whole day.

We need to harness this good old fashioned community spirit to tackle the challenges we face together locally. Too often in our busy, technology dominated and modern lives we forget the benefits of talking and getting together with our neighbours and local communities.

We should do this kind of thing more often.