Stephen Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon & East Thurrock, joined the Mayor of Thurrock, James Halden, to celebrate Commonwealth Day with a tea party on Saturday and a flag raising ceremony on Monday at Thurrock Council.
On Saturday 11 March, Stephen attended the Mayor of Thurrock’s charitable Commonwealth Afternoon Tea Party to raise funds for the Neonatal Unit at Basildon and Thurrock Hospital and Supporting Refugees in Thurrock. Attendees discussed the links that many in the local area have with family and friends across the Commonwealth.
On Monday 13 March, Stephen attended the Mayor of Thurrock’s flag raising ceremony at Thurrock Council to celebrate Commonwealth Day and the Commonwealth’s significance locally and internationally. The Mayor pointed out that ‘Tilbury in Ontario, Canada has connections with the Port of Tilbury in Thurrock, with a number of roads in our Tilbury being named after Canadian cities.’ There were a number of veterans and service personnel in attendance.
Commonwealth Day originated in 1975 when Canada included the idea in its agenda for the 1975 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. In 1976, in Australia, it was agreed that an annual celebration of the community of nations would take place every year on the second Monday of March.
This year’s Commonwealth Day is particularly poignant as it is obviously the first after The Queen’s death. It was The Queen’s life mission to unite the Commonwealth under the shared values of liberty, equality and democracy. Equally significant is the fact that it is the 75th Anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks. To put it simply, members of the Windrush generation made the United Kingdom a more successful place and are rightly a central part of our great national story.
Under the stewardship of HM The King, the Commonwealth continues deliver on The Queen’s legacy. It is working together to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our world today such as climate change, peace and cooperation and a girl’s right to an education.
Stephen Metcalfe said: “It was great to raise money for charity at the Mayor of Thurrock’s Commonwealth tea party and discuss the Commonwealth’s significance.
I am very proud of the contributions that so many people with family links to the Commonwealth community make in the local area. We are very lucky.
It was also a pleasure to attend Thurrock’s Commonwealth Day service and flag raising. The Commonwealth is doing a lot of good work to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time.”
