Double diamond celebration

Richmond Meet is 120 years old. The town has been holding the annual carnival throughout the Queen’s reign and as far back as Queen Victoria’s – the only other British monarch to celebrate a diamond jubilee.

This year it was moved back a week to ensure it coincided with the jubilee weekend.

Floats, fancy dress and even an open topped bus took over the streets of the market town.

The procession set off from Nuns Close Car Park, wending its way through the Market Square and to the Friary Gardens where the entertainment continued throughout the afternoon with music, dancing, stalls and a draw, the highlight of a weekend of celebrations.

Mayor Stuart Parsons said: “It has been absolutely fantastic, everyone has entered into the spirit of the whole event.

“We were blessed by the weather, the Queen and Prince Philip even turned up in a pick-up truck, which isn’t their usual mode of travel.

“Thousands of people have helped us mark our double diamond jubilee and raise money for local charities at the same time.”

Richmond Town Football Club capitalised on the Meet celebrations to mark their success with a victory parade in an open topped bus. It is the first time the club has ever won anything, but they have beaten all records by carrying off the Teesside League title and three trophies – the first time the league title has left Teesside in 120 years.

Gavin Newall, Richmond FC manager, described their delight.

He said: “This is a huge victory for us. The Teesside League is one of the toughest in the country. This is down to hard work and heart. We chose a squad of 20 at the start of the year and that hasn’t changed much. I told the players every game has to be the last game – we have all kept together and it has paid off. This is really great for the town. To have the lap of victory as part of the Meet celebrations is the icing on the cake for us.”