A Real Diamond

As summer and the Olympic flame finally arrive in the UK, the nation is becoming engulfed in a sea of red, white and blue. But before Olympic fever truly takes a grip there is the small matter of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  Most would regard the Queen’s 60 year reign as quite an achievement. And for many people, particularly visitors to the UK, the monarchy is synonymous with what it means to be British.

Although in theory the Queen is simply a figurehead – after all, she has no overt influence in the way the country is run, her presence does have an effect. Does she have an effect on our industry I wondered?  What effect will the Jubilee celebrations have on the economy and surely the Jubilee celebrations must have netted a few construction projects?

London has certainly benefited – The Jubilee Gardens, a £5.5m project to redevelop the grassed area by the Southbank Centre is one example.

The borough of Greenwich has joined the ranks of the Royal Boroughs, an honour bestowed upon them by the Queen as part of her Jubilee celebrations.  Development projects in the borough include two new secondary schools and the £100 million regeneration of Greenwich Peninsula.  And 2012 has also seen the re-opening of the Cutty Sark, which was so badly damaged by fire in 2007. The £50m restoration project has included a stunning new visitors’ centre designed by Grimshaw and Youmeheshe Architects.

In terms of the boost to our tourism and retail industry, the Diamond Jubilee is expected to inject £10 billion into the British economy, as hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to London.  Britain’s tourist trade is booming.  In fact, London has seen the biggest influx of visitors since the turn of the century, with 12.7 million trips to the capital so far.

We should embrace this chance to welcome our overseas visitors and help them to enjoy spending money in our shops, dining in our restaurants and paying to visit our attractions. Ok, so public transport may be more overcrowded and the extra bank holiday could have a negative effect on the GDP figures for June, but the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will surely launch the most exciting three months our country has known, putting Great Britain firmly at the centre of the World stage. Yes, these are difficult times – there is economic uncertainty at home and in the Eurozone, but that shouldn’t stop us from celebrating an institution that has dealt with 156 global prime ministers, 12 UK prime ministers and 32 different commonwealth realms during the past six decades. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity here – let’s show Britain at it’s best.

As we enjoy our extra bank holiday, we shall certainly raise a glass or two to sixty glorious years.