IT's been a bad week for republicans.

Despite those pessimistic predictions, and perhaps hopes, from some in the national media, the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations have proved a resounding success, as those of us fortunate enough not to live in London always knew they would be.

For many Britons the importance of the monarch was summed up by Prince Charles after Monday's pop concert at Buckingham Palace, the royal family provides a fixed point in an ever-changing world. Understanding our history enables us to move forward with confidence as a country.

The Malvern Gazette & Ledbury Reporter has done its best to try to do justice to your marvellous efforts all around the district to mark this historic occasion.

With so much going on, it was inevitable we would not be able to cover every event, so we are sorry if your celebration was not included in our special supplement.

For many who took part, of course, it was not about the monarchy but a revival of community spirit.

We would take this opportunity to pay tribute to the organisers of these many events, for whom months of hard work paid off handsomely this week.

When people say 'we must do it again next year', spare a thought for those organisers and get involved yourselves.