Flying a flag for the Commonwealth

Joined by children from The Manor and River Mead schools, Melksham Town Council once again raised the Commonwealth flag on Monday 12th March to celebrate Commonwealth Day.

The town council joined over 1,000 other organisations around the world who raised the flag in a shared celebration of the amazing family of nations that comprise the Commonwealth around the globe.

Now in its fourth year, the Fly a Flag initiative has caught the imagination of thousands of participants from all walks of life, inspiring them to join with others as a collective public expression of commitment to the Commonwealth. It enables participants to show appreciation for the values the Commonwealth upholds, and the opportunities offered for friendship and cooperation with fellow Commonwealth young and old citizens around the world.

The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, 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.

“On Commonwealth Day, people of all ages and backgrounds in Commonwealth countries set in every continent and ocean, recommit to working ‘Towards a Common Future’, our theme for this year and for the Commonwealth Heads of Government being hosted by the United Kingdom in April. Raising the Commonwealth flag reminds us afresh that cooperation as a family of nations enables us to respond collectively to global challenges, and to deliver a fairer, more prosperous, secure and sustainable future for all citizens – particularly our young people.”