Rochdale gears up for Peace Day

Photo: David Butterworth

Link4Life’s Craig McAteer, Rochdale Mayor Councillor Robin Parker, Rochdale MP Paul Rowen, Peace Day organiser John Farrington, Chairman of the Peace Parade Nick Wigmore, Truce International’s John Carmichael, Rochdale Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s Andrew Kay and Peace Parade treasurer Steven Cooke at the Peace Day Partnership Meeting.

Rochdale’s MP Paul Rowen and Mayor Councillor Robin Parker were among the guests at the Peace Day Partnership Meeting held this afternoon (Thursday 24 July).

The meeting was held to discuss peace in the UK in the lead up to The International Day of Peace, which will be held in Rochdale town centre on Sunday 21 September 2008.

Now in its third year, the Rochdale Peace Day is the only event of its kind in Britain, making the town a leader for world peace.

John Carmichael of Truce International, one of the Partnership organisations supporting the United Nations Day of Peace alongside Rochdale Online, said: “Rochdale has done it, while everyone else is yet to get started. Rochdale is leading the way for Peace Days in this country.”

The Peace Day Partnership Meeting started with the reading of two poems written by two thirteen year old school pupils. Upon reading the poems out, John Farrington, founder and project co-ordinator or Peace Parade UK said: “I think it’s fascinating that children in this town are coming up with such ideas.”

Those in attendance were given an update from Peace Parade UK and the planned activities and layout for the International Day of Peace were discussed.

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen said: “In the next European Council meeting, I can congratulate Rochdale for what is being done.”

Asked why he started this globally unique project, John Farrington said: “It’s because I’m from Rochdale and it’s a great town, and no-one else has done it before.

“I was with a few friends in the pub back in 2006, and International Peace Day was coming up, so we decided to put forward the UK’s, and possibly the World’s, first public and official observation of the UN National Peace Day.”

John Carmichael of Truce International cited his hopes for the future of the Peace Day. He said: “It’d be really good for the ten Greater Manchester Authorities to take a look at what Rochdale is doing. Hopefully next year we can get the other nine regions to join in.”