CARISBROOKE CASTLE FAMILY FUN DAY AND WALK THE WIGHT TO BE
CENTRE OF SPECIAL ISLE OF WIGHT DAY CELEBRATIONS AND THANKS
A weekend of celebrations, remembrance and thanks
This year’s special Isle of Wight Day weekend (September 10th-12th) will be an opportunity
for all Islanders to celebrate a return to some sort of normality after months of lockdown
and disruption caused by the pandemic, whilst we offer a huge thank you to the thousands
of Islanders who have volunteered their services to the community, as we remember those
that we have tragically lost.
The special weekend of remembrance, thanks and celebration is the idea of the Island’s
Lord Lieutenant, Susie Sheldon, who will preside over a civic Service of Remembrance at
the Minster in Newport on Friday, September 10th conducted by the Archdeacon, The
Venerable Peter Leonard. The service will specially remember the 300 Islanders that we
have sadly lost through Covid over the past 16 months. The Lord Lieutenant said, “It is
particularly appropriate this year that we should all get together for Isle of Wight Day. The
last year and a half has been very tough but we have much to celebrate. The Island
community has shown how it can pull together and Isle of Wight Day this year is especially
highlighting and thanking our many volunteers. I hope to attend as many events taking
place over the weekend of September 10th-12th as I possibly can. The whole ethos of Isle
of Wight Day, and indeed Walk the Wight, is that of celebrating what we can do so well as a
united community on the Island. I am delighted to be part of it”.
The following day, Saturday, September 11th, will see the return of the annual Isle of Wight
Day celebrations, when all Island residents are encouraged to come together to celebrate
our wonderful Island, with this year’s focus on thanking the thousands of volunteers who
have supported us through the pandemic. Island communities are encouraged to stage
their own local events across the Island. The centre of the celebrations will take place once
more at Carisbrooke Castle. Island residents will only need to pay £1 for entry to the Castle
grounds for this Family Fun Day, with coronavirus volunteers having FREE entry. More
details of the Fun Day activities will be announced in the coming weeks. Robin Courage,
the founder of Isle of Wight Day said “Isle of Wight Day was always designed as a day of
celebration for our wonderful Island and this year’s special day will also provide an
opportunity for all our communities to come together to say a huge thank you to the
thousands of incredible volunteers, who have done so much to help us to get through this
very difficult time. Massive thanks also to David Bailey and his team at English Heritage for
once again so generously making entry to the wonders of Carisbrooke Castle affordable to
all Islanders on this special day”.
Community Action Isle of Wight, which provides the Island’s Volunteer Centre service and
has been supporting both the many community based Covid support groups and also the
provision of volunteers at vaccination centre sites, is helping Isle of Wight Day to provide a
thank you to volunteers. CEO Mike Bulpitt said, “The Island always benefits from the huge
commitment of volunteers, year in year out, but the Covid crisis has seen an even greater
response, which needs to be recognised and celebrated”.
The weekend’s celebrations will continue on Sunday, 12th September with the staging of
the iconic Mountbatten Walk the Wight, one of the largest walks of its kind.
The event was rescheduled from its regular date in May because of Covid restrictions and
this year Mountbatten is hoping for a record-breaking turnout for this annual fundraiser.
Nigel Hartley CEO of Mountbatten said “When we were forced to reschedule this year’s
Walk the Wight we did not expect it to coincide with the Isle of Wight Day celebrations, so
we are hugely grateful to the Lord Lieutenant for arranging for this fitting weekend of
remembrance and celebrations”.
To conclude this wonderful weekend of remembrance and thanks the annual Songs of
Praise concert, with the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra and choirs will take place at
Cowes Enterprise College on the afternoon of Sunday, September 12th.
We can all look forward to a spectacular weekend of family activities, so please shout out
your own thank yous by once again hanging out your bunting!
For more information contact:
Robin Courage
rvcourage@gmail.com
01983 811770
or
Mike Bulpitt
mbulpitt@actioniw.org.uk
01983 524058
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