Nelson Town Council held a spectacular line-up of events to celebrate the King’s Coronation on Saturday 6th May 2023, and an estimated 10,000 people packed the town to enjoy a whole day of community celebrations on this historic occasion.
In the build-up to the big day over 5,000 local primary school and nursery children were invited to take part in an extra special coronation competition, to decorate a cardboard King’s crown and wear it in the procession. The winner, Noah Emmott aged 6 from Brierfield, received a trip to London worth £400!
Visitors started the day by wearing their crowns for a special procession through Nelson, started by the Town Cryer and led by the world-famous Accrington Pipe Band. The Town Cryer then led the crowd in singing the National Anthem.
A big screen showed the historic Coronation live, and cheers rang out as firstly King Charles III was crowned, followed by Queen Camilla. The 10,000-strong crowd was then ready to celebrate, with a live stage show featuring local band OdAll, The Take That Experience, and Bollywood-style dancing from international dance act Desi Nach.
The stage show was hosted by BBC Radio Lancashire’s Hussnain Hanif, who also performed the grand finale of the show which was a performance of Nasheed songs, leading the crowd to join in. He said, “It’s been absolutely amazing, we’ve had so much going on here in Nelson. The masses turned out in their thousands to celebrate this momentous occasion – it’s history in the making. This events reflects the diversity in our community, I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m born and bred in Nelson and I’ve never seen it so packed before!”
Nelson Town Council decorated the town and its main entry routes – they were proudly dressed with Union Jack bunting and flags, plus visuals of King Charles. A large throne and backdrop was installed in the town centre where people took selfies all day. The area around the famous Shuttle was decked out as a picnic area, with grass, picket fencing and deckchairs installed!
Free entertainment for all the family was also provided by Nelson Town Council, including four traditional fairground rides, henna painting, face painting, street artists dressed as Royal Guards, a crown-making workshop, a special visit by Nelson Fire Station with one of their trucks, and much more, making it a really special day to remember.
Councillor Faraz Ahmad, Chairman of the Events Committee at Nelson Town Council, said: “The coronation of a new monarch is something that many of us have never seen and everyone at Nelson Town Council was determined to mark this special occasion in style, and bring all our community together.
“It was an incredible day, an estimated 10,000 visitors and such a great day of entertainment. Watching the Coronation outside with all the community at such a spectacular event will be talked about for a long time!”
Councillor Zafar Ali added, “It’s been an absolutely amazing day here, celebrating the King’s Coronation and, wow, we have definitely put Nelson on the map! We’ve got so many diverse members of our community here. Celebrating the Coronation, celebrating British life, is what we’re all about. Thank you to all the organisations who’ve come together to put this on with Nelson Town Council. It’s been such a momentous occasion, with so much going on!”
You can learn more about Nelson Town Council on their website: http://www.nelsontowncouncil.gov.uk/
