THE Queen Mother will not be the only one celebrating her 100th birthday on August 4 — the people of Okehampton will be in party mood too.

Okehampton Town Council has backed the Chamber of Trade's idea for a street party in Fore Street to mark the Queen Mother's special day. The two groups will work in partnership to organise the event.

Derek Godfrey-Brown from the chamber said the Queen Mother had served the country well and still maintained a high profile.

'It is a token of the public's awareness that this street party is being held to mark her 100th birthday,' he said.

'The Queen Mother has been serving the country for as long as most of us can remember, and the beginning of this was in those difficult pre-war days complicated by the abdication of Edward when he married Wallis Simpson, the American heiress.'

So technically she came 'into the job' of Queen late in that she had not been primed from early days as was the norm in Royal circles both before and in recent times said Mr Godfrey-Brown.

'Despite this she was an ever present encouragement to everyone throughout the heavy bombardment which cause such hardship and she was out and about on the very day that a bomb actually scored a direct hit on Buckingham Palace — so was her sense of duty,' he said.

More recently, the Queen Mother was seen at the Cheltenham Festival enjoying one of her big interests — horse racing — and she presented the Shamrock to the Irish Guards on St Patrick's Day.

The chamber member added that it was intended to hold the street party, as was the style in years past, in Fore Street, where a road closure order would be in place.

'The chamber and town council are in charge of the organisation but anyone who wants to make a contribution to the day in any way can contact me or the town clerk,' said Mr Godfrey-Brown.

Arrangements have been made to hold children's races including chair-o-planes, swingboats and roundabouts and, if sufficient funds can be organised, there will be a barbecue, street dancing and giant firework display at the end of the day.

Mr Godfrey-Brown can be contacted on 01837 53158 and town clerk John Winchester on 01837 53179.