Over The Rainbow on Chichester Day

Outgoing Mayor of Chichester Richard Plowman has outlined the plans for a unique Chichester Celebration and Event of Thanks and an opportunity to show our gratitude to everyone involved in delivering us through one of the most difficult and challenging episodes in modern history.

Richard said: “One of the promises I gave as Mayor was to hold a big thank-you party for the community for stepping up during the Pandemic, with a special emphasis on front-line workers and the NHS – hence the title, Over the Rainbow.

“Having discussed this with the Chichester Community Network and through the Chichester City Council Community Affairs Committee, chaired by Cllr Clare Apel, a separate, independent event committee will be set up for Over the Rainbow, with the assistance of the Chichester City Council.

“Hopefully, we can draw on the experience of the successful Priory Park 100 event in 2018, at which many of you helped.”

The following elements have been suggested for the event but, at this stage, they are just concepts. We hope to achieve the following:

1. Parade around the Park: led by Chichester Pride and featuring the Town Crier, Samba band, NHS workers, Frontline workers and schoolchildren
2. The Children’s Rainbow: each child will have a coloured square, joining together to form a huge rainbow
3. Massed choir and City Band: performance of three special songs, including “Over the Rainbow” and a Song for Chichester, the result of a Rotary competition (Rotary already organises a very successful poetry competition)
4. Awarding of special City Council Covid-19 medals by the Mayor
5. The Chichester Town Square performance area: featuring entertainers (who have found it very difficult during the pandemic)
6. Feed Chichester: a celebration of the work of UKHarvest and the Food Bank
7. Finale: a special torchlight procession to remember all loved ones lost during the pandemic

More details to follow!

Please register your interest in the form below: