Review of 2022: Portsmouth spent the month of May getting ready for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

May saw the people of Portsmouth paint the city red, white and blue in anticipation of one of the biggest events of the year - the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

There were immense highs throughout the month, and as always, people continued to show huge acts of kindness as they clubbed together to help those in need.

NOW READ: April – Portsmouth reflects on the Falklands War while Southsea was rammed with Easter sunseekers

The beginning of May saw volunteers across the city all rallied together to transform the garden of Archie Cleaver, who has cerebral palsy after suffering a ‘stillbirth’ and needing emergency resuscitation. When Archie and his mum, Victoria, moved to their home on Woofferton Road, the council made adaptations inside, but their garden, which had uneven surfaces, was inaccessible for Archie, making it virtually impossible for the youngster to get out.

WellChild, a family support charity, decided to spring into action and change the garden into an oasis that the mother and son can enjoy.

At the time, Victoria said: ‘If Archie could live outside he would. It calms him down when he’s stressed. He loves being outside which is why we wanted to get the garden done. Now it looks amazing.’

Early May also saw the local elections, which witnessed the Liberal Democrats retake control of Gosport Borough Council after more than a decade as they secured the majority with 16 seats.

They also managed to hold onto Portsmouth, as many people in the area felt increasing anger towards the Conservative party as Boris Johnson’s position faltered.

Havant and Fareham both remained Conservative, with the party gaining two seats for the Fareham ward.

As the results came in, Councillor Sean Woodward, Conservative leader of the council said: ‘Many people are saying they’re happy with the way we’ve run Fareham Borough Council – a number of them aren’t so happy with how the party is in government at the moment.’

The halfway point in the month also witnessed a Royal Navy officer receive an accolade for his bravery and service following an evacuation in Kabul.

Lieutenant Commander Will Durbin, 35, found himself in at the deep end organising the dangerous operation to airlift thousands of British and Afghan civilians out of the country last August.

SEE ALSO: March – City rallies behind Ukraine, fights against injustice and shows compassion to those in need

His incredible work earned him the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the latest Operational Honours announced by the Ministry of Defence.

At the time of him receiving the award, he said: ‘To witness the relief and joy of those being evacuated from Kabul, particularly the children, brought home the importance of our efforts in the operation. To hear the laughter of children as they were able to take their minds off their recent ordeal was a poignant moment for us all.’

On the weekend of May 18 and 19, Portsmouth welcomed the first chilli and gin festival, which proved to be a spicy success as hundreds flocked to see what the fuss was all about.

Stalls were lined with gin of all kinds of flavours and chilli from all around the world, as well as live music, face painting and family fun for all.

Organiser Mark Scarborough, from Widley, was inspired by his lifelong love of growing chillies, which sparked an idea to help others see his passion.

On the day, Mark said: 'It's amazing to finally be here. It's been so popular. We sold out on the Saturday and had about 1,000 tickets sold today.’

HMS Collingwood had an extensive role to play in the Queen’s Jubilee at the end of the month as Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel rehearsed the parade in anticipation of the Jubilee extravaganza in London.

Patriotic pride was on full display in Fareham as 200 naval personnel prepared for their performance for the Queen in the Platinum Jubilee parade.

State ceremonial training officer Warrant Officer Darren Wearing said: ‘In 1,000 years of monarchy we have never had a Platinum Jubilee and it's potentially going to be the last so it's exceptionally important.’