Residents, their families and members of the team at Marlow-based care home, Sir Aubrey Ward House, teamed up with St Peter’s Catholic Primary School to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday with a street party and special performance.

Symbolic of the value of community and young and older people joining together, the street party was a colourful celebration of this royal milestone, and opened with the National Anthem followed by a programme of songs from different year groups at the school.

Both Sir Aubrey Ward House and the local primary school have developed a partnership over the years, with joint projects such as the creation of a ‘9 to 90 choir’, a Sound of Music themed sing-along, Easter bonnet parade and the launch of a Book Buddies programme which uses reading to bring pupils and older people together, cementing community links.

The street party was inspired by activity co-ordinator at Sir Aubrey Ward House, Ceri Clark, who felt it was incredibly important to mark such a significant moment in history. Commenting on the event, Ceri said:

The party was a remarkable way of celebrating our collective past and future by bringing the generations together for an afternoon of singing and laughter. This is such a special birthday for our Queen and we felt it important to honour it appropriately. Everyone had a marvellous afternoon and we certainly made some lovely memories.

Miss Thomas, deputy headteacher from St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, added:

We’re proud to have a great relationship with residents and members of the team at Sir Aubrey Ward. It’s vital our students have the opportunity to work closely with them to share experiences and learn about our heritage.  It’s a day we’ll treasure and one our pupils will look back on fondly in years to come.