Commonwealth Day
Queen's Baton Relay 2022
On 8th July 2022 the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay came to Gravesend as part of its final journey through England – a journey which celebrated communities across the Commonwealth during the build up to the Commonwealth Games.
The Queen’s Baton Relay started with a moment of community reflection at the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, before being carried through the streets to Town Pier, where it was taken on board the ferry across to Tilbury, from where it started its tour of Eastern England.
Cllr John Burden, the Leader of Gravesham Borough Council, said: “Since the announcement that the Queen’s Baton Relay is coming to Gravesend, we have been working hard with the organisers and our partners to ensure this is a great morning for the whole community.
Gravesend Leg Baton Bearers
John Boy Smith - from West Kingsdown. A silver medallist in the T54 Marathon at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a 2021 Paralympian. He is the first athlete with Romany heritage to compete at the Commonwealth Games and Paralympic Games.
Lysa Whymark - from Brentwood. In 2019 Lisa set up the Daily Bread, helping to put an end to hunger and stop excess waste going to landfill. The Daily Bread is now a six days a week food hub, collecting food from more than 100 supermarkets every week.
Michelle White - from Hartley. Born with spina bifida she has spent 18 months trialling for the para bowls squad and in January found out that she had been selected to represent England at Birmingham 2022.
Rosemary Head - from Basildon. Aged 81, Rosemary is recognised for her services to her local Basildon community plus the wider national and international volunteer world, giving her time tirelessly although diagnosed with lung cancer.
She is an Age Concern befriender, supports the homeless through her local church, has raised more than £1,200 for the Tumaini orphanage in Kenya, volunteers at a local nature reserve, runs a ladies lunch club, and volunteered at London 2012, Rio 2016, the World Paras, and the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Network Members Cheavon Clarke & Michelle Bramble
Cheavon Clarke - from Gravesend. Cheavon is a heavyweight boxer who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games before turning pro at the start of 2022.
Originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, Cheavon competed for the country of his birth at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Following his switch to the UK, the young boxer didn’t waste time in making a great impression as he won the English Boxing Elite National Championship in 2016 before being selected to join the Great Britain Podium Boxing squad.
Cheavon has caught the eye on numerous occasions, most notably winning silver at the European Championships in Kharkiv (2017), bronze at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast (2018) and bronze at the European Games in Minsk (2019). Following his successful amateur career, he turned his attention to the professional ranks and in January 2022 signed a long-term promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Cheavon takes great pride in being a financial literacy advocate, helping young people from across the social spectrum to better prepare themselves for day-to-day life and to be responsible, positive and proactive with financial decisions as they arise. He is very active in the community with charitable work.
Michelle Bramble - from Gravesend. Founder of North Kent Caribbean Network, Michelle works to ensure that the history of her community’s journey to Gravesham is not forgotten.
The Network has celebrated Commonwealth Day over the years, highlighting inspirational members of the community who hail from all parts of the Commonwealth and celebrating the work they have done for the Borough.
Online Commonwealth Day Celebration 2021
North Kent Caribbean Network in partnership with Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Cohesion Council delivered an online celebration to mark Commonwealth Day on Tuesday 9th March 2021. Civic, community and faith partners saw an event that celebrated the many contributions made to the United Kingdom by Commonwealth communities here in Kent.
A key part of the event was the three short films that had been created focusing on education, health and policing featuring colleagues with links to the Commonwealth, talking about their lives, careers, challenges and the importance of celebrating Commonwealth Day.
Civic guest speakers included Cllr Roger Gough, Leader of the Kent County Council and Deputy Lord Lieutenant Bhargwara Vasudaven who also spoke his prolific career with the NHS.
Young people from GYG at The Gr@nd performed a moving rendition of ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon in honour of Commonwealth Day.
Commonwealth Day 2020
A special community event took place in Gravesham at Saint Andrew’s Arts Centre on Tuesday 10th March 2020 to celebrate the Commonwealth and the positive contribution made in the borough by local residents with links to Commonwealth countries.
A a special award of recognition was presented to Alberta Theresa Jaggon, the widow of Cllr Joseph Jaggon a former Mayor of Gravesham. The award recognised both Mr and Mrs Jaggon’s contributions to the promotion of positive community relations in the borough over the many years.
Commonwealth Day 2018
The event was to celebrate Commonwealth Day and Claudette Bramble from North Kent Caribbean Network was presented with a special award for services to the Community from Kent Equality Cohesion Council.