We were absolutely blown away with the fabulous turnout for the Coronation Celebrations in Knowle on Bank Holiday Monday 8th May. The day may have had a wet and gloomy start, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the stall holders, entertainers and hundreds of visitors who enjoyed this community event.
The artisan market featured businesses from Knowle, Solihull, Warwickshire & the Cotswolds.
Several community groups enjoyed hosting games and sharing information about what they do including Cycle Solihull, Dorridge & District Residents Association, Knowle Astronomical Society, Knowle and Dorridge Lions, KDBH Neighbourhood Forum, Knowle Football Club, Knowle Girl Guiding, Knowle Society and Love Knowle Park.
Roger Cook from the Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath Neighbourhood Forum said “We had a truly excellent day at the ‘Big Help Out’ Coronation Event. Highlights included welcoming and chatting to literally hundreds of people to our stall who were interested to learn more about the activities we are undertaking for the KDBH community. We were delighted to sign up a good number of new members and spend time talking to people coming forward with offers of assistance. Reaching out to a younger audience also proved a great success with a ‘Guess the Number of Sweets’ competition and Face Painter. All in all a great day and grateful thanks to everyone involved in making it such a successful and joyful event.”.
Throughout the day the church was a hive of activity from coffee and cakes at the popular Cobbles, to activities in St John’s Halls, fun activities in the church grounds, history exhibitions and the popular church tower tours.
The stage was a very popular venue with crowds treated to entertainment from local groups including Allure School of Dance, a Pearl King & Queen (Amy Price Dance & Music), Knowle Church Children’s Choir, Knowle Musical Society, Laura Bryan, United Dance Academy and Warwickshire Dance Academy.
Even the dogs stepped out in style to mark the historic occasion while a Town Crier shared the news of teas and cakes at the village hall.
Three children were crowned competition winners for their fabulous crown creations, although we didn’t envy the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Ken Meeson who had the challenging task of selecting a winner from each category (pre-school, infants and juniors). Knowle has some very creative children! The Mayor of Solihull then stayed in Knowle to meet stall holders, community groups and local businesses.
In true British style we queued in good spirits for food in the brand new Grub Hub on Kenilworth Road. Hangry Street, The Cheeky Cows and Monica’s Bakes were all very popular locations, as were Eric Lyons and Graze Grub stalls on the High Street. Our fabulous local coffee shops & pubs were also popular places to grab a drink and catch up with friends and neighbours. Nick Lyons of Eric Lyons said “We had such a great day at the Jubilee Celebrations last year, but the Coronation Celebrations saw even more people coming into the village. The buzz along the High Street and the sense of community made it a day to remember. We’re so proud to be part of the village”.
Dave Pinwell, lead organiser said “We are delighted with the turnout for the Coronation Celebrations. It was particularly good to see the community coming together, with so many people catching up with friends, family and neighbours. This event could not have taken place without the small team of organisers, the support of fellow organisations (Arden Academy, Arden Academy, Arden Parent & Teachers Association, Knowle and Dorridge Lions, Knowle Parish Church, Knowle Society, Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath Neighbourhood Forum & Love Knowle Park) volunteer marshals and litter pickers and our sponsors and I’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of them. We would love to bring more events to the village. If you enjoyed the day, and would like to find out how you can support more events in Knowle, why not consider becoming a friend of Visit Knowle?”
Our generous sponsors for the Coronation Celebrations were HCD Developments, Eric Lyons, Graze Grub and The Marketing Pod and we would like to once again thank them for their support in what was a fabulous community event. Visit Knowle’s If your business would like to be involved in future projects, get in touch with the team for a chat.
We would love to bring more events like the Coronation Celebrations to the village but we need a community of friends to help make that happen. Find out how you can give your support today.
