Youngsters from a primary school in Bushey attended a flying flag ceremony to help the Mayor of Hertsmere mark Commonwealth Day.
Students from Bournehall Primary School helped councillor Brenda Batten unfurl the Commonwealth and Union flags at a ceremony outside the civic offices in Borehamwood.
Ellie-Rose McKay, nine, took part in a competition for young people in the borough to answer how many countries there are in the Commonwealth.
The ceremony was attended by Ellie-Rose’s classmates, family and teachers, as well as borough councillors and council staff. It was held to mark the borough’s commitment to the Commonwealth and to show appreciation of its values and the opportunities it offers to citizens around the world.
Mayor councillor Batten said: “I’m delighted that Ellie-Rose and her classmates were able to join me for this exciting occasion, and I want to thank everyone who took part in our competition.
“Our flag is one of a thousand that will be flying today around the world. It’s that thought which brings home that while the Commonwealth is diverse and huge, and encompasses many different communities and lives, its citizens are all connected in some way.”
The Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth initiative, now in its fifth year, is a collective public expression of commitment to the Commonwealth.
This year’s Commonwealth Day theme was ‘A Connected Commonwealth’, which offers opportunities for the people, governments and institutions of this richly diverse family of nations to connect and work together through far-reaching and deep-rooted networks of friendship and goodwill.
The Commonwealth is made up of 53 sovereign states working together in mutual support towards shared goals of democracy, development and respect for diversity. It includes some of the world’s largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries, with 2.4 billion citizens drawn from all faiths and ethnicities.
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