Monday 14 March is Commonwealth Day and a ceremony is to take place in Dorchester at 10am to which local people are invited to attend.

Dorset Council’s chairman, Cllr Val Pothecary will read out the Commonwealth Affirmation and the Commonwealth Flag will be raised and flown from the roof of County Hall.

Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration observed by people all over the Commonwealth in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe.

The Affirmation, which is usually part of the traditional ceremony, pledges to uphold and serve the values and fellowship of the Commonwealth and can be viewed on the Commonwealth Day website.

Cllr Pothecary said: “At this time of acute sorrow and distress over events taking place in Ukraine, we are even more grateful for the wonderful success of the Commonwealth nations in forging peaceful relations and in their determination to maintain democracy and prosperity. The 54 countries – united in friendship and respect for one another, are a true exemplar of how nations can come together and aspire to change our world for the better.”

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’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.