A BEACON will light up Woking town centre as the borough joins a blazing chain of tributes around the country to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The flames in Jubilee Square will be one of more than 2,000 fires being lit in the UK and across the Commonwealth on Thursday 2 June.

The chain launches the first community event of the four-day jubilee holiday and forms part of the official celebration programme announced by Buckingham Palace.

The Queen will light the principal beacon in the chain, switching on a spectacular lighting installation that involves the Green Canopy Tree of Trees living sculpture and projections on to the front of the palace.

Woking’s beacon lighting celebrations begin at 2pm with a proclamation heralding the lighting of the beacons later that day announced by master of ceremonies Ges Ray.

At 9pm, Ges will introduce local singer Simon Greenhill, who will lead the celebrations.

At 9.35pm, Gordon’s School piper Elysée Spacie will play Diu Regnare, a tune written for the occasion by Pipe Major Stuart Liddell, a member of world champion pipe band Inverary and District.

At 9.40pm, Gordon’s bugler Jess Fowler will herald the lighting of the beacon with a specially written bugle call entitled Majesty.

At 9.45pm, Woking Mayor Saj Hussain will light the beacon in Jubilee Square, followed by a performance of A Life lived with Grace by a community choir. This special “Song for the Commonwealth” was written and composed by Lucy Keily from Australia and Vincent Atueyi Chinemelu from Nigeria.

Woking’s ceremony will be closed by further performances from Simon Greenhill and the community choir – with the public encouraged to join in.

The borough council’s chief executive, Julie Fisher, commented: “We are honoured to be part of this special event for Her Majesty. It is only appropriate that this unique milestone in history is marked with beacons and music.”

At least 2,022 charities, communities and faith groups across the UK are lighting beacons and beacons will be lit in all 54 Commonwealth capitals.

The jubilee beacons celebration and associated activities were conceived and organised by Bruno Peek, who has been pageantmaster for celebrations over four decades, including the Queen’s golden jubilee and her diamond jubilee beacons and the arrival of the new millennium.

Other organised events taking place in Woking over the Platinum Jubilee Weekend include:

* The return of the giant outdoor video screen to Jubilee Square, which will show highlights of The Queen's official Platinum Jubilee events.

* A public service of thanksgiving in the square at 10.30am on Sunday 5 June, led by the Vicar of Christ Church, the Rev Adrian Beavis.

For more information about jubilee events taking place across the borough, visit www.celebratewoking.info.