Commonwealth Day to be marked at Civic Centre
Posted on Monday 8th March 2021
Newport City Council will be raising the Commonwealth flag at the Civic Centre today to mark Commonwealth Day 2021.
Commonwealth Day is a celebration of the work of the Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary association comprising 54 countries which are home to around 2.4 billion people.
This year’s Commonwealth Day theme, Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming, will highlight the work that member nations are doing to help the Commonwealth achieve some of its biggest goals, like protecting natural resources and boosting trade.
In accordance with the current national covid-19 regulations, the council will not be hosting a formal ceremony to mark the occasion. The Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, Brigadier Robert Aitken CBE, will instead deliver a pre-recorded message which can be viewed on the council’s social media channels.
Cllr Jane Mudd, leader of the council, said: “I am pleased that we are able to mark Commonwealth Day today. Although we are unable to hold a formal ceremony, it is still right that we recognise the work of nations across the Commonwealth, and their commitment to democracy, development and respect for diversity.
“It is also right that, as Commonwealth Day coincides with International Women’s Day, that we recognise the women who are leading the work to build a better future, particularly those involved in helping their communities to recover from the effects of Covid-19.”
Cllr Tom Suller, mayor of Newport, added: “The Commonwealth is a family built around our shared values and history. It is important for Newport to recognise this, and by raising the flag we join our sister towns and cities across the globe in doing so.”
For more information on Commonwealth Day, and the work of the Commonwealth, visit https://thecommonwealth.org/