Nottingham will take part in the global ‘Fly the flag for the Commonwealth’ celebration on Monday 14 March, from 9.45am – 10.15am in the Old Market Square. Members of the public are welcome to come along to celebrate our links with the commonwealth countries.
The blue and yellow Commonwealth flag will be raised at 10am from the Council House flagpole, as flags are simultaneously raised around the country. Flags will be raised in 52 other countries around the Commonwealth – more than 1000 flags will be raised in total.
Event details:
- Lord Mayor Councillor Jackie Morris will read a welcome speech
- Two pupils from the Bluecoat Academy, Nokuthula Zulu (Year 12) and André Tulloch (Year 13) will read the affirmation and response
- Deputy Lord Lieutenant Commander Peter Moores will read out a personal message from His Excellency Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, and a specially written Commonwealth Affirmation, before the raising of the Commonwealth Flag at 10.00am
Commonwealth Flags will be flown at many locations of special significance including at six locations on the Island of the Republic of Malta; in Tristan Da Cunha, the most remote of the United Kingdom Overseas Territory; in St. David’s in Pembrokeshire, the westernmost city in Wales; in Carlisle in Cumbria, the northernmost city in England; in Lowestoft in Suffolk, the easternmost town in England; in Unst in the Shetland Islands, the most northerly inhabited island in Scotland; at the Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula; at the Halley VI Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf; and at King Edward Point and on Bird Island in South Georgia. The list of local Flag raising ceremonies and imaginative locations continues to grow.
Councillor Jackie Morris, Lord Mayor of Nottingham, said: “Nottingham City Council is delighted to once again celebrate Commonwealth Day with our friends around the world.
“It’s a great opportunity for Nottingham to join with others in showing our commitment to the Commonwealth, as well as appreciation of both the values it stands for, and the opportunities offered to its citizens around the world.”