ODIHAM celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday by joining towns and villages across the country lighting a beacon.

There is a long tradition in the village of celebrating royal jubilees, weddings, coronations and special birthdays by firing up the beacon. Last Thursday, more than 900 of them lit up across the nation. The Queen herself attended a ceremony at Windsor.

The last major celebration was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June 2012.    

This time a large crowd of residents and service personnel gathered to watch RAF Station Commander Phil Robinson light the Odiham beacon to formally mark the milestone birthday.

The event started with the peeling of the bells at All Saints Church. The RAF provided an honour guard. Officers and airmen took off their caps to lead the crowd in three hearty cheers for Her Majesty.

The crew from Odiham fire station prepared the beacon and officially oversaw the occasion.

Jon Hale, chairman of Odiham Parish Council, said: “It was a honour for the parish council to organise the lighting of our beacon to mark our Queen’s birthday.

“The whole event was made possible by the efforts of Odiham fire station, with our friends at RAF Odiham adding a brilliant touch of ceremony to the evening. All of which is a great backdrop to our high street party on June 12.”