Raising a flag for co-operation

The Mayor and Mayoress accompanied by Sana Khan and Lewis Threlfall at the flag-raising ceremony, with some of the Heritage Walk participants in the background

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The Mayor, Councillor James Gartside, raised a special flag outside Rochdale Town Hall on Saturday 7 July to mark the International Day of Co-operatives.

With around 800 million people all over the world now members of co-operatives, the movement is a truly global one and, as the World Capital of Co-operatives, it was a proud moment for the Borough of Rochdale when the International Co-operative Alliance flag was officially raised.

Accompanying the Mayor at the ceremony was the Mayoress, Councillor Jane Gartside; Sana Khan, Member of the UK Youth Parliament for the Borough of Rochdale and Lewis Threlfall, Children’s Champion for the Borough of Rochdale.

The celebrations for the international day also included two heritage walks which looked back on Rochdale’s fascinating history at locations such as the Pioneers Museum on Toad Lane.

After officiating at the flag-raising ceremony, the Mayor took the opportunity to stroll up The Esplanade and view the 2012 International Year of Co-operatives flowerbed outside Touchstones.

The display serves as both a reminder of Rochdale’s past and a symbol of the role that co-operation can play in shaping its future.

The Mayor said: “Our status as the birth place of the Co-operative Movement is a very proud part of our history and it’s great to see the flag flying outside the town hall.

“We have led the world in showing the value of working together and the principles laid down by the Rochdale Pioneers in 1834 have gone on to benefit millions of people.”

Councillor Colin Lambert, Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The International Day of Co-operatives provides a chance to both honour our past and look to the future.

“Schemes such as the award-winning Community Champions project and the creation of the country’s largest housing mutual show how co-operation is continuing to enrich the lives of our borough’s residents.”