Lord Mayor to commence Commonwealth Day celebrations
This year’s Commonwealth Day celebration will commemorate the annual event’s 76th anniversary, with performances by a local school at a special citizenship ceremony.
Commonwealth Day, which is on Monday 10 March, is observed by people in 56 countries and all over the Commonwealth - in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas, the Pacific and Europe.
The 2025 theme is 'Together We Thrive’, and the day is an opportunity to promote the unity, diversity and shared values of the Commonwealth family across the world.
The celebrations, led by the Lord Major of Birmingham, Councillor Ken Wood, will begin with a Commonwealth Day Service at Birmingham Cathedral and will be attended by the Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands, The High Sheriff for the West Midlands and faith leaders.
This event will be followed by a special Citizenship ceremony at Birmingham Register Office, in Holliday Street where the Lord Major will welcome Birmingham Commonwealth Association chairman Keith Stokes-Smith.
During the ceremony the Lord Mayor will present citizenship certificates to 30 of Birmingham’s newest British citizens from nine different Commonwealth nations.
The citizenship ceremony will feature a musical performance by a local school, who will sing a specially composed song – Come Together Everybody – written by Birmingham music teacher Sarah Baker, commissioned and permission given to perform by Services For Education.
The Lord Mayor, Councillor Ken Wood, said: “It will give me great pleasure to celebrate Commonwealth Day and meet some of Birmingham’s newest British citizens who have come from a number of Commonwealth countries and made this city their home.
“As the first citizen of Birmingham, a wonderfully diverse and truly international city with more than 187 different nationalities represented, I am very much looking forward to marking this important occasion.”
Keith Stokes-Smith, chairman of Birmingham Commonwealth Association, said “Commonwealth Day is always the second Monday in March and is celebrated around all the 56 Commonwealth nations. The Birmingham Commonwealth Association is honoured to lead Birmingham’s Commonwealth Day celebrations.
“As the nation’s second city with a diverse commonwealth community, this year we are pleased to be working with youth choirs as part of our Commonwealth Day events, reflecting one of the commonwealth values and principles, the importance of engaging young people.”