Norfolk's young chefs of the future will be catering for the Queen at a Jubilee garden party at Sandringham. Picture: Ian Burt.

Norfolk’s young chefs of the future will be catering for the Queen and thousands of guests, as she hosts a garden party at Sandringham.

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Thousands more will join in the celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, as communities large and small across the county gear up to mark 60 years of the Monarch’s reign over the extended bank holiday weekend of June 2-5.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will give a garden party for 4,000 guests at Sandringham House on Tuesday, June 12.

Catering students from Norwich City College, The College of West Anglia and Great Yarmouth College will be showcasing their culinary skills and providing the refreshments.

Last night Steve Thorpe, head of the hotel, hair and beauty school at City College, said: “It’s fantastic, it’s probably one of the highlights of the year.

“There will be about 300 students from the three colleges, we’ll be working collectively providing food and service.”

Mr Thorpe said the menu for the occasion was still being been decided.

“It’s going to be an afternoon tea, sandwiches and pastries,” he said. “It’s going to be locally-sourced, from the best that Norfolk has to offer.”

Jayne Walpole, COWA’s head faculty for creative arts, said: “We’re delighted to have been asked. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students and staff to be involved in a such a prestigious event.”

Hunstanton Town Band, Taverham Brass Band and Norfolk Youth Orchestra Symphonic Wind Band will be perfomring at the party.

Norfolk County Council chairman Shelagh Hutson is to host an invitation-only Diamond Jubilee wedding tea at County Hall on April 25, for couples from Norfok who married in 1952. People who would like to attend the tea party are invited to write to Catherine Wilkinson, chairman’s officer at Norfolk County Council, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DH, by Friday, March 16.

In London, Norfolk’s boat building industry will be showcased in the national celebrations when Dominic Rouse, owner of a Brundall-built Broom 50 vessel, joins a flotilla of up to a 1000 boats in the spectacular Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in central London on Sunday June 3.

Vice Lord-Lieutenant Lady Knollys, the High Sheriff of Norfolk, Georgina Holloway, and county council chairman elect, Ian Monson, will all be on board.

Closer to home, communities in Norfolk are being invited to take to their streets to celebrate.

Norfolk County Council has launched the Norfolk Year of Celebrations 2012 Fund to help community groups, organisations, town and parish councils celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and a number of other events this year including The Olympics.

Communities, organisations, town and parish councils can bid for a maximum of £500 from a pot of £30,000 available to help people meet the costs associated with staging and promoting an event.

Community grants are also available from West Norfolk council, South Norfolk Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

An event planner has also been produced by the county council to help people plan events and includes a timeline of what to do and when, as well as guidance on accessing funding, organising road closures and licences.

The cost of closing streets and roads has been set at £36 so friends and neighbours can come together and celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. For more information or an application form, visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/diamondjubilee, email streetworks@norfolk.gov.uk or telephone 0344 800 8009.

Firework displays will be held in Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn on June 4, with events in Lynn being organised by the borough council and Festival Too.

A beacon will be lit on the balcony of City Hall on Monday, June 4, which will link with beacons being lit across the country

A special invitation-only service at Norwich Cathedral will take place on June 3, in conjunction with the weekend-long Jubilee Festival of Flowers and church services in King’s Lynn on June 3 and in Great Yarmouth, on June 5.

A special photographic exhibition charting the strong connection the Royal Family has with West Norfolk, through The Queen’s home at Sandringham, will take place in the Mayor’s Parlour in King’s Lynn’s historic town hall, from June 2.

South Norfolk Council’s flagship community event, Discover South Norfolk, will take place in Long Stratton on Sunday July 8 with a Diamond Jubilee theme and Broadland District Council is running a competition inviting residents and community groups to create colourful plantings and floral displays.

A Festival of Breckland is also being held to bring together a large number of community events marking The Jubilee and The Olympics.

A group led by the Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk Richard Jewson including representatives from the county council, city, district and borough councils, the police and the church, is coordinating and recording the celebrations.

Mr Jewson, said: “It is already clear that the Diamond Jubilee will be marked with enthusiasm and style in Norfolk to reflect not only the strong community spirit that exists here but also our county’s long-standing connections with Her Majesty and the Royal Family.

“There is a great deal of planning under way already, and we want to make sure that everybody in Norfolk knows what’s happening, how they can get involved and how they can join in the celebrations as well as explaining where they can find practical information to help them organise and run their own event.

“We want people who live and work in our county to tell us about their plans, great or small, to ensure that everyone comes together to make this a celebration to remember what will be a momentous year as Norfolk marks Her Majesty’s 60 years of service to her country.”

Now a dedicated website containing useful information has been launched where communities can register their celebrations and create a permanent archive for future generations.