The Commonwealth Service, Monday 11 March 2019
Students from Ysgol Calon Cymru celebrated Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen, Members of The Royal Family, UK and Commonwealth dignitaries and 800 schoolchildren and young people from across the UK.
On Monday 11th March, students from Ysgol Calon Cymru traveled to London to join 800 children and young people from across the UK in celebration of Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey. The Service took place in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, accompanied by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and The Duke of York. The event is the world’s premier, inter-faith event to celebrate the Commonwealth of Nations and provides an opportunity to focus attention on this voluntary association of 53 countries and their commitment to promoting democracy, human rights, the rule of law and equality for its 2.4 billion citizens.
The theme for this year’s Service, ‘A Connected Commonwealth’, seeks to highlight the practical value and global engagement made possible as a result of cooperation between the culturally diverse and widely dispersed family of nations, who work together in friendship and goodwill. This will be a particularly special event, as the Commonwealth begins to celebrate its 70th anniversary. For the fourth consecutive year, the Commonwealth Service was broadcasted live on BBC One(You can catch up on Iplayer or the BBC YouTube)
Highlights of the Service included special performances by the Grammy-winning British group, Clean Bandit, and acclaimed tenor and renowned star of the stage, Alfie Boe; with a reflection by endurance swimmer, ocean advocate and the UN’s Patron of the Oceans, Lewis Pugh.
The event also featured performances by The Dhol Foundation, who performed at the 2012 London Olympics Closing Ceremony and The Queen’s Birthday Party concert; William Barton, the internationally celebrated didgeridoo artist who’s prodigious talent featured at the 2018 Invictus Games; and the B Positive Choir, featuring Lurine Cato, 2018 finalists in Britain’s Got Talent.
Commenting on the theme of this year’s event, Chief Executive of The Royal Commonwealth Society, Dr Greg Munro said, “The Commonwealth Service celebrates a unique network of countries - all distinct and all equal. It is a day for us to recognise our similarities and celebrate our differences, and look to the future of the Commonwealth and at what we can all contribute by working in partnership.”
Commonwealth Day has been celebrated across the Commonwealth every year since the 1970s. The Royal Commonwealth Society encourages schools and youth groups to take up this opportunity to begin to explore and engage with the core Commonwealth values and principles of human rights, rule of law, democracy and stewardship of the environment, as they become increasingly relevant to young people’s daily lives.
A special thanks goes to The Royal Commonwealth Society for inviting Ysgol Calon Cymru.