A GIANT street party being planned for the Market Place in Pickering aims to get into the Guinness Book of Records.

Masterminding the ambitious idea is the town's deputy mayor Coun Natalie Warriner who is also the events co-ordinator for the Pickering Community Group.

The biggest street party on record is 465 and she is confident that at least 600 of Pickering's estimated 1,300 youngsters will take part in the big event which is being staged to mark the Queen's golden jubilee.

The party will be part of Pickering's newly-revived carnival which is being staged on Saturday July 13, and to add to the celebrations, neighbouring villages such as Cropton, Newton-on-Rawcliffe, Middleton, Wrelton, Thornton-le-Dale and Allerston are being invited to enter floats and take part in the event.

Coun Warriner is anxious to trace the carnival queen for coronation year, 1953, and has successfully found the silver jubilee queen.

Joanne Short (nee Holliday) was just nine years old when she held the honour. Now living in Harrogate with her husband Craig, the Blackburn Rovers footballer, and their two daughters, Beth aged eight and Eleanor, four, she said: "I remember being chosen. We all went to the Forest and Vale Hotel and paraded before the judges, then on the jubilee day we went to the Recreation Club."

After a miserable and windy day, the evening turned sunny, and Joanne and her two attendants, Sarah Emmerson and Kirsty Shields, were among the highlights of the celebrations. She and her family will be returning to Pickering to judge the carnival floats, said Coun Warriner.

The carnival was re-instated in 2000 after a lapse of some nine years and Coun Warriner believes the success of the past two years' events can be built on.

Anyone able to help in running the carnival or with ideas, is asked to contact Coun Warriner on (01751) 476816 or (07740) 095033. A village will be celebrating the Queen's anniversary in June by holding a huge party.

The event is being arranged at Allerston, near Pickering, and plans include an afternoon of family events followed by a buffet supper, live music and a barbecue. A special barbecue cake will be baked to enable all 310 villagers enjoy a slice.

Fundraising for the event starts this Saturday with a special Valentine's Day-themed coffee morning in the village hall. The coffee morning starts at 10am and entry, which includes refreshments, is 50p for adults and 20p for children.

Updated: 10:16 Thursday, February 14, 2002