Commonwealth Flag to Fly in Orkney

The Commonwealth Flag will be flown from the Kirkwall Town Hall today (March 14) for Commonwealth Day.

Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration – taking place on the second Monday in March - observed by people all over the Commonwealth in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe.

The aim of Commonwealth Day is to honour the history and shared values of Commonwealth states.

It is a public holiday in a few Commonwealth countries.

The Commonwealth of Nations, generally known simply as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 54 member states, almost all of which are former colonies of the British Empire.

Formed in 1949, it now includes about 2.6 billion people and makes up a quarter of the world’s land mass.

Commonwealth Day 2022 celebrations will include a service at Westminster Abbey.

The theme for Commonwealth Day 2022 will centre around the theme for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – 'Delivering a Common Future' – which highlights how the 54 member countries in the Commonwealth family are ‘innovating, connecting and transforming’ to help achieve goals like fighting climate change, promoting good governance and boosting trade.

Given that 2022 is Her Majesty The Queen’s Jubilee Year, there will also be a special focus this year on the role service plays in the lives of people and communities across the Commonwealth.