Celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee & the Opening of our New Buildings with a 'Street Party'
On Saturday 21st May, the sun shone and bunting rustled in the gentle breeze as we welcomed the new Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Cllr Sue Bell and her Consort, Mr Dave Bell, to officially open our two new building extensions and join in a ‘Street Party’ to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Mayor said that she was delighted to have been invited and was immensely impressed with everything she saw and everyone she met, at Hilden Oaks.
The whole Hilden Oaks community came together for the event and created a wonderful atmosphere, with ‘pop up’ music groups and games run by Form 6 pupils. Friends of Hilden Oaks School (FoHOS) sold Hilden Oaks umbrellas (thankfully not needed on the day) and Jubilee tea towels featuring self-portraits and handprints of every child in the school. Parents also had the opportunity to look around the new facilities.
After a fantastic tea, sitting at a long ‘street party-style’ table on the playground, the children paraded their fabulous home-made crowns, which were judged by the Mayor and her Consort, Headmistress; Mrs Katy Joiner and Chair of the Trustees; Mr Derick Walker, following which, prizes were awarded.
In her speech, Mrs Joiner said, “I am delighted that after such a difficult couple of years through the pandemic and building work, we have finally been able to bring the whole school community together for such an amazing celebration.” She went on to say, “with a busy school, and a desire to extend and expand our pupils’ opportunities to learn, and to be constantly enriching the school environment, space was always at a premium and there was a risk that the physical limitations of the school buildings could begin to impact our pursuit of excellence. We are, however, delighted that we have achieved what we set out to do, by providing more space, and that both current and future generations of Hilden Oaks pupils will benefit from these wonderful new facilities.”
