Community Day

NAVCA, working with NCVO, Volunteering England, TUC and Community Service Volunteers, is campaigning for a new bank holiday, in late October, to be called Community Day.

The purpose of the day is to:

• celebrate the contribution that voluntary and community activity makes to the country and community cohesion;
• provide an opportunity for existing groups to publicise their activities, raise funds and/or recruit new volunteers and members; and
• give an opportunity to organise one-off events designed to improve local communities.

The day has been chosen because:

• Britain only has eight public holidays a year, compared to the European average of eleven.
• This day falls in the middle of the longest current gap between bank holidays, many of which are bunched together in spring.
• Unlike calls for a bank holiday tied to a particular date, Community Day would always be on a Monday thus giving people a long weekend and minimising disruption for businesses, many of which would not want to close midweek.
• While it is not necessary to sign up to the government's agenda, the call does chime with recent calls for a day to celebrate Britishness and national identity, but in a way that is inclusive and grass-roots led.

The campaign was launched in May 2007 by a joint press release between the organisations and a longer joint statement setting out the policy and rationale in more detail.

This was followed up by an Early Day Motion (1859) that attracted cross-party support in the House of Commons. A further press release (Aug 2007) highlighted what a selection of groups would do on Community Day. TUC has, most recently, called for Community Day to start in 2013.

We ask campaign supporters, both groups and individuals, to do four things:

1. Pledge your support.
2. Write to your MP asking them to support the campaign by writing to the Prime Minister and pledging their support on the Community Day website.
3. Contact your local media. Tell them that you have asked your MP to back the campaign, and explain how you would use the day to boost local community activity.
4. Spread the word, and get others to join the campaign!