29 September 2017
The Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Peaches Golding OBE, Patron of the Bristol Commonwealth Society, was keynote speaker at today’s Society lunch. The UK is a microcosm of the Commonwealth, with 50% of the population having an ancestral or other connection. From January 2018 the royal family will be involved in a number of engagements celebrating the Commonwealth, including visits to many Commonwealth countries. Of importance will be Commonwealth Day (Monday, March 12), the two weeks of the Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia (Wednesday 4 - Sunday 15 April) and then the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will take place in London from Monday 16 April onwards. Topics of discussion during the forums at the Meeting will include Women, Civil Society, Young People and Business. The Lord-Lieutenant challenged the Bristol Commonwealth Society to compile a diary of events taking place across the City in 2018 that align with the theme of the Commonwealth so that she can inform The Queen of activities taking place in Bristol. She also spoke of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust which funds young people who have ideas on how to improve their communities. With due diligence, and support where needed, these young people run their own small-scale charitable initiatives or social enterprises which provide local solutions to local problems. Although the level of funding is small, the idea of youth-led development is acknowledged by many agencies as an effective means of enabling young people to be equal partners in making the world a better place.