Review of 2022: Portsmouth spent the month of May getting ready for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee
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May saw the people of Portsmouth paint the city red, white and blue in anticipation of one of the biggest events of the year - the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
There were immense highs throughout the month, and as always, people continued to show huge acts of kindness as they clubbed together to help those in need.
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The beginning of May saw volunteers across the city all rallied together to transform the garden of Archie Cleaver, who has cerebral palsy after suffering a ‘stillbirth’ and needing emergency resuscitation. When Archie and his mum, Victoria, moved to their home on Woofferton Road, the council made adaptations inside, but their garden, which had uneven surfaces, was inaccessible for Archie, making it virtually impossible for the youngster to get out.
WellChild, a family support charity, decided to spring into action and change the garden into an oasis that the mother and son can enjoy.
At the time, Victoria said: ‘If Archie could live outside he would. It calms him down when he’s stressed. He loves being outside which is why we wanted to get the garden done. Now it looks amazing.’
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Hide AdThey also managed to hold onto Portsmouth, as many people in the area felt increasing anger towards the Conservative party as Boris Johnson’s position faltered.
As the results came in, Councillor Sean Woodward, Conservative leader of the council said: ‘Many people are saying they’re happy with the way we’ve run Fareham Borough Council – a number of them aren’t so happy with how the party is in government at the moment.’
The halfway point in the month also witnessed a Royal Navy officer receive an accolade for his bravery and service following an evacuation in Kabul.
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His incredible work earned him the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the latest Operational Honours announced by the Ministry of Defence.
At the time of him receiving the award, he said: ‘To witness the relief and joy of those being evacuated from Kabul, particularly the children, brought home the importance of our efforts in the operation. To hear the laughter of children as they were able to take their minds off their recent ordeal was a poignant moment for us all.’
On the weekend of May 18 and 19, Portsmouth welcomed the first chilli and gin festival, which proved to be a spicy success as hundreds flocked to see what the fuss was all about.
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Hide AdStalls were lined with gin of all kinds of flavours and chilli from all around the world, as well as live music, face painting and family fun for all.
Organiser Mark Scarborough, from Widley, was inspired by his lifelong love of growing chillies, which sparked an idea to help others see his passion.
On the day, Mark said: 'It's amazing to finally be here. It's been so popular. We sold out on the Saturday and had about 1,000 tickets sold today.’
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Hide AdPatriotic pride was on full display in Fareham as 200 naval personnel prepared for their performance for the Queen in the Platinum Jubilee parade.
State ceremonial training officer Warrant Officer Darren Wearing said: ‘In 1,000 years of monarchy we have never had a Platinum Jubilee and it's potentially going to be the last so it's exceptionally important.’