THURROCK Council will join institutions and groups worldwide to mark the 70th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth with a flag-raising ceremony.

To celebrate Commonwealth Day 2019, the Commonwealth flag will once again be raised outside the Civic Offices in Grays at 10am on Monday March 11 and is open to members of the public to attend.

The day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation made up of 53 member countries spanning Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific, and enables organisations across Commonwealth countries to honour the values that it upholds.

This year’s theme, "A Connected Commonwealth", will encourage participants to commemorate the friendship and co-operation opportunities made possible by fellow citizens of member nations.

The council joins a number of other groups in raising the flag to mark the occasion including other local authorities, charities, scout and guide groups, ex-servicemen, sea and air cadets and major shipping lines as part of the ‘Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth’ initiative.