A COLOURFUL carnival and fancy dress parade launched a programme of Jubilee events at Kingsland, which attracted visitors from Leominster and surrounding villages.

Potential disaster struck when the village's retained fire-fighters led by Sub Officer Julian Gore were in the midst of organising fun games at the playing field. They were forced to drop everything to attend an emergency at Ross-on-Wye.

Mrs Angela Gore stepped into the breach to keep the show on the road in a zany weekend that included everything from welly-wanging, a parish councillors' race, tug-of-war, disco and a knockout rounders tournament, which included a mud bath!

Zany it was. Vicar Nigella Tyson dressed as the Archbishop of Canterbury for Sunday's fancy dress, which included a wonderful assortment of little rats, pirates, peasants and land Army girls.

Flower Show float riders dressed as seed packets, vegetables and garden creatures were 'well watered' by the village fire engine crew.

Kingsland Church was the venue for an exhibition f a '1950s room.' A total of 161 local children of 16 and under were presented with Jubilee mugs.

Kingsland pulled out all the stops and was rewarded with an enthusiastic response. "I've lived in the village all my life and I have never seen a turnout like this," said garage owner Brian Markham.

l Stoke Prior residents and their dogs put their best foot forward and plodded on despite wet weather on Monday for a Jubilee Walk.

Fifty people took part in the seven-mile circular ramble led by Jane and Stuart Hinton, which took in the churches and chapels of Stoke Prior, Humber, Risbury and Ford. Later, the showers cleared and the sun shone for a traditional street party at The Bury and the local pub, The Lamb, was the venue for an evening folk and barbecue event.

l Croft Castle grounds were the scene of a huge fireworks spectacular that was seen from Leominster and beyond on Saturday evening. A big crowd enjoyed evening picnics and live jazz in the build-up to the dazzling pyrotechnics. Yarpole villagers staged sideshows to raise funds from Croft and Yarpole churches.

l Leominster's Waverley House residents had to stage their 'street party' in the care home's dining room because of rain but donned their Jubilee hats and managed to capture the right atmosphere. "We know how to throw a party here!" said care manager Sheila Cole.

Local music teacher Roger Woolley, on keyboard, answered the home's plea for a musician to entertain the elderly residents in an afternoon programme headed by the Leominster Junior School dancers.

Dorothy Morris, daughter of resident Ernie Cole, made a huge cake topped by a model of the Queen's coronation crown which was raffled to raise funds for Waverley. The winner donated the cake for general consumption.