Aylesbury – February 10th 2014: Esri UK has been appointed the official ‘Mapping Partner’ for the Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth event, taking place on Monday 10th March, 2014. For the first time ever, local authorities and civic dignitaries, community groups and charities throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, are taking part in local flag-raising events and ceremonies of dedication to mark Commonwealth Day.
To publicise the initiative Esri UK has created an interactive map - www.esriuk.com/flyaflagmap -which shows the location of where individual flag-raising events are taking place. The map is freely available to all participating local authorities to embed in their websites, so local citizens and national and local media can easily find details of all flag-raising events.
Charity teams will also mark the day by taking Commonwealth flags to the top of the UK’s four highest national peaks and use the occasion to raise funds for their worthy causes: Cancer Research UK – Scafell Pike; Help for Heroes – Ben Nevis, Scotland; Walking with the Wounded – Mount Snowdon, Wales; and Fields of Life – Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland. Commonwealth flags will also be flown at many locations of interest including the four capital cities of the United Kingdom, the highest village in England and the Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR, Pageantmaster, is the originator of the Fly and Flag for the Commonwealth Day and has been organising major national and international events for over thirty years including, most recently, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Beacons. “This will be the largest, single raising of the Commonwealth flag in the history of the Commonwealth,” said Peek. “The success of this year’s event bodes well for 2015 and beyond, as we extend the invitation to involve all countries of the Commonwealth and UK overseas territories, to make this the largest ever occasion involving local communities throughout the worldwide Commonwealth family.”
“We are exceptionally proud to support the Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth initiative and help raise awareness of the day,” added Dr Richard Waite, Managing Director of Esri UK. “We strongly encourage all local authorities and others taking part to post the map on their website, so local citizens and the media can easily find details of their local event and become involved in what will be a most special day.”
Editors’ Note
The map can be easily embedded on your website, please go to www.esriuk.com/flyaflagembed. However if you have any queries please contact Email Contact or call the Esri UK ‘Fly a Flag’ team on 01296 745676for assistance.
For further information contact:
Sarah Webb/PR & Corporate Comms Manager, Esri UK
Email Contact
Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR
Pageantmaster
Email Contact
