CEREMONIAL beacons lit up the night sky across West Somerset on Monday night as communities came together in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Although Dunkery Beacon was the district's only official jubilee beacon, villagers in other parts of West Somerset were determined to create their own piece of history.

Beacons were lit in a multitude of places, including Winsford, Watchet (pictured), Stogumber, Crowcombe, Kilve and West Quantoxhead.

The beacons marked the culmination of the majority of local diamond jubilee events, which included street parties, exhibitions, fancy dress competitions and flower festivals.

People of all ages joined in, from nursery children to residents in care homes, while bunting sales went through the roof as residents proved they were proud to be British!

The local events were part of four days of national celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne following the death of her father King George VI in 1952.

It was only the second time in history a British monarch had reached the diamond milestone - Queen Victoria also celebrated her diamond jubilee in 1897.

And as usual the great British weather played an important role in proceedings, with many events bathed in rain rather than sunshine.

But despite the downpours, the British bulldog spirit shone through and communities joined forces to show their support for the monarch - and to enjoy the extended four-day weekend.

Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger - himself the great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria - said he was thrilled by the local response to the historic occasion.

"It was all extremely British and wonderfully uplifting to see so many people of all different ages and backgrounds coming together to celebrate the jubilee.

"It was an honour to be part of the constituency celebrations and I'm sure people will have fantastic memories of the weekend's events for many years to come," he said.