3 June 2012 Last updated at 12:58 ET

Diamond Jubilee: Hundreds attend street parties

Melinda Messenger opened the Newbury Picnic in the Park

Berkshire marked the Diamond Jubilee with a host of events across the county on Sunday.

More than 200 street parties took place with villages and towns also holding their own Big Lunch events.

Windsor hosted a Big Picnic event at Alexandra Gardens with live entertainment and children's workshops.

A celebratory big band concert was held at Reading's Forbury Gardens and crowds flocked to Newbury for a Picnic In The Park celebration in Victoria Park.

Melinda Messenger opened the picnic.

She said: "Having spoken to the ladies from the WI it rained on Coronation day so this is tradition, people seem to be thoroughly lapping it all up, it's brilliant."

At the scene

Linda Serck BBC News

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Under the torrential rain that has soaked Berkshire and Oxfordshire, the murky grey of the sky is offset by dazzling slabs of bright red, white and blue - from flags draped over buildings and bunting criss-crossing streets.

In Goring and Streatley, the two villages spanning the two counties, tables lined a 1km stretch of road with a sumptuous party feast.

Each person I spoke to was in a jubilant mood, celebrating with friends and family, and keen to make this an event for their young children to remember.

This is British celebrating at its best, a nation that doesn't let the wet stuff stop a jolly good Jubilee knees-up.

In Wokingham, the Corps of Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers marched through the town with "drums beating and flags flying" in a grand parade.

George Ewart, from Crowthorne, aged 76, with his wife Ruth, 71, said: "It's really wonderful, we are going to enjoy the day despite being tee totallers."

Goring and Streatley were staging a lunch street party followed by a carnival procession and open-air concert.

Organisers shipped in 4,000 red, white and blue ponchos for the event which were 1km long and spanned the two counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

The twin villages, separated by the River Thames, will then host a water pageant on Monday, as well as a junior Olympics-style event.

The Duchess of Cambridge's home village, Bucklebury, hosted an afternoon concert, culminating in a singalong of local composer Daniel Nicholl's song for the Diamond Jubilee, called Sixty Years Our Queen.

See all the latest Diamond Jubilee news and features at bbc.co.uk/diamondjubilee