King Charles III Coronation: 200 people expected at grand Westwood street party - with circus acts and disco

A Peterborough charity cafe is going above and beyond in its efforts to help residents celebrate the upcoming Coronation in style.

The Westraven Community Café, in Westwood, is throwing a big street party on Friday, May 5 to ensure residents and visitors alike will be able to mark the crowning of King Charles III in memorable fashion.

The cafe’s energetic manager, Christine Monk-Nice told the Peterborough Telegraph that “all are welcome to our community street party,” adding, “there’s a lot going on all day.”

Kicking off at midday, the community celebration will feature all-day entertainment with circus acts, dancers and puppet shows, all rocking to the sounds of a non-stop disco. Activity stalls, face painting, and kids games will also be on hand, plus there will be a dog show and several raffles with prizes kindly donated by local benefactors.

A band will bring the event to a close in style at around 7pm.

Naturally, food – including a giant Union Jack cake – will be available all day. “All the children that come will get a free food box,” Christine assures.

The charity café is a focal point for the community, providing low cost meals for families on a budget and acting as a food hub for those struggling to get by.

In addition, the café offers work opportunities for students from local colleges with learning difficulties and inmates from HMP Peterborough on day release.

The registered charity also helps to feed the homeless as well.

The last time the café’s dedicated team staged a large event of this kind was when they threw a party to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

“It really went well,” Christine remembers, “all the community joined in and had a great time.”

While the Jubilee event attracted close to 200 people, Christine believes the Coronation party is likely to attract more. ”We’re hoping for over 200,” she says.

A dedicated helper at community cafes for more than 20 years, Christine has been working at Westraven for four years now. As well as being the manager and chief organiser, the dedicated Walton resident also cooks two days per week.

The café only has three paid members of staff, with funding for salaries provided by Cross Keys Homes, the owners of the property.

Everyone else who helps out the cafe – and its celebrated fruit and vegetable garden at Hartwell Way – does so on a voluntary basis.

Christine is always looking for volunteers, both for the café and the garden, which hosts inspiring and educational eco activities for kids and families throughout the year.

Anyone interested in helping out is simply encouraged to come and “ask for Christine.”

For now, Christine’s focus is very much on the Coronation.

“No-one’s seen a Coronation before so it’s quite an exciting event,” she muses.

“Come and enjoy yourself,” she says, issuing a parting invite. “Come and have a fun day, see all our entertainment and help us raise some funds for our charity.”