IN celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday, two events are being held next week in Harlow Town Centre.

The Harvey Centre working in partnership with The Phoenix Centre and supported by Harlow Council will be hosting “A Right Royal Bash” from 12.30pm to 3.30pm on Saturday 11 June 2016.

Customers, young and old are invited to join them from 12.30pm for a traditional afternoon tea supplied by Tesco, BB’s Coffee and Muffins, and Couzens Bakery, with special gifts for the 90 year old guests. The centre will be lit in the national colours of the Union Jack and decorated with bunting to create a nostalgic feel. Free flags will also be handed out to shoppers so they can embrace the patriotic spirit.

Guests can pose with cardboard cut-outs of her Majesty for celebratory selfies and enjoy free fun for the kids, with tiara and crown making, glitter tattoos and a ‘pin the nose on the corgi’ competition. For the more adventurous there will be a treasure hunt around the centre, with prizes supplied by The Phoenix Centre. Paradise Wildlife Park will be bringing ride-on-horse toys to the centre for the children to play on. On Saturday there will also be a variety of offers available from stores for customers to enjoy.

From Monday 6 June 2016 and all week a “Queen of all treasure hunts” will be held throughout the Town Centre with a range of prizes donated by Blue Inc, McDonalds, Specsavers, Tesco, Quaser and WH Smith. Those taking part will need to search for cardboard cut-outs of the Queen which will be placed in various shop windows throughout the Town Centre. All competition entries will be put into a prize draw which will take place at the Harvey Centre’s “A Right Royal Bash” event. More details on the treasure hunt will appear at www.harlow.gov.uk

Leading up to the nationwide celebrations on 11 and 12 June 2016 Broad Walk and Harvey Centre approach will be decorated with red, white and blue bunting and flags.

Harlow Council will also be opening a birthday book for residents to leave messages of congratulations for the Queen. The book, which can be signed within the Civic Centre from 6 June 2016 and at the Harvey Centre event, will be sent on to the Queen.

Councillor Edna Stevens, Chair of Harlow Council, said: “It is really exciting that next week Harlow Town Centre will be in the party spirit so local families can celebrate together the Queen’s 90th birthday and her remarkable life. I hope as many residents as possible also sign the birthday book, which will be Harlow’s present to the Queen.”

Harlow has a close association with the Queen who visited Harlow and the Town Centre on 30 October 1957 along with Prince Philip. It was on this day that Elizabeth Way was opened. Four playing fields – Ash Tree Field, Harlow Skatepark, Jean McAlpine Park and Parndon Wood Nature Reserve all became Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust in 2012, protecting them as a permanent living legacy for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London 2012.