Nottingham will take part in the ‘Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth’ celebration by flying the Commonwealth flag from the Council House at Old Market Square.
Members of the public are welcome to join guests at Old Market Square to celebrate the annual tradition on Monday 12 March.
The Lord Mayor, Cllr Mike Edwards and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Cllr Glyn Jenkins will be participating in the Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth event, together with the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant, David Stewart, as the Queen’s representative, and two pupils from Bluecoat Academy.
The ceremony will take place on the steps of the Council House with the flag being flown at 10am to coincide with other councils taking part in the ceremony on the day.
It’s expected that 1,000 Commonwealth flags will be raised at 10am in places like the Bahamas, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka to name a few.
The Commonwealth is made up of 53 countries across all six continents. The blue and yellow flag will be flown in unique and eye-catching locations throughout these countries to represent the values of unity and tolerance within our multi-cultural world.
The initiative was launched in 2014 and since then has seen the Commonwealth flag flown in over 1000 ceremonies in 2016 alone.
Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Councillor Mike Edwards said: “Nottingham City Council is proud to host a ceremony to raise the Commonwealth flag.”
“It is a great opportunity for people in Nottingham to come together and show that we are united in our support for the shared goals that the Commonwealth works towards.”
The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, The Right Honourable Patricia Scotland QC, said: “Fly a Flag is a wonderful opportunity for local communities to come together to celebrate the remarkable diversity and inclusiveness of the Commonwealth, and the many ways in which the lives and livelihoods of its 2.4 billion citizens are enriched through Commonwealth connection and cooperation. By working together locally and globally we learn from one another, and make progress for the good of all.”