Flag raised at Rochdale Town Hall for Commonwealth Day

Mayor and Mayoress, Ian and Christine Duckworth, at the flag raising with MP Tony Lloyd and local councillors

Rochdale marked Commonwealth Day on Monday (12 March) with a Commonwealth flag raising at 10.00am outside the Town Hall.

The Mayor and Mayoress, Ian and Christine Duckworth, attended the flag raising along with Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd and local councillors.

Mayor Duckworth spoke before he raised the flag, saying: “Today, many around the world will raise more than one thousand Commonwealth flags at 10.00am for this year’s Commonwealth Day.

“These people are committing themselves to the values of the Commonwealth charter and the 2018 Commonwealth theme ‘Towards a Common Future’.

“It is amazing how quickly this event has caught the public imagination in the UK. The participants being of all ages shows the enormous potential of this project and of the Commonwealth.

“This is a positive and uplifting way for people to link with and assist fellow citizens of the commonwealth, in a family that spans across oceans and continents. There is a real sense of promise and hope for the future in this current, troubled world of ours.

“I am delighted that the government of the George Cross Island in Malta will be taking part again this year, adding to the international aspect of this Commonwealth event.”