FLYING THE JAMAICAN FLAG IN CITY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Flying the Jamaican flag in city

A Jamaican flag will be hoisted at Leicester's Town Hall next week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Caribbean island's independence.

Lord Mayor Abdul Osman will join 31 representatives of the city's Jamaican community, including former city councillor Alderman Winston Nurse, for the event on Monday, August 6.

The flag-raising ceremony will take place at 10.30am, followed by tea with the community representatives in the Lord Mayor's Team Room.

Jamaica was a British colony for 300 years before it gained independence on August 6, 1962.

Councillor Osman said: "The Jamaican community has been present in Leicester for much of the 20th century, and as part of the wider Caribbean community has played a significant role in making Leicester the place it is today.

"I am honoured to be marking the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence."

Other events marking the anniversary include a visit by the Jamaican High Commissioner in Highfields on August 12.