Colchester Castle has joined more than a hundred buildings and landmarks across England and Wales by lighting up blue to celebrate the upcoming census and its importance to communities. The Castle will be illuminated from Thursday 18 March – Monday 22 March.
The event has been organised by The Office for National Statistics (ONS) to raise awareness of the census, a survey that happens every ten years and gives a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales.
Other iconic landmarks include the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, BT Tower in London and Blackpool Tower which will all take part in the celebration, seeing them light up in the Census 2021 brand colour.
The census helps inform the provision of public services throughout the UK, such as determining the appropriate number of school places and hospital beds that are needed to properly serve their communities.
Adrian Pritchard, Chief Executive of Colchester Borough Council said: “It is vitally important that as many of our residents complete the census as possible. We use the data gathered to help us make planning and budget decisions for our services across the Borough, and with your help we can build strong communities for the future. Census Day is Sunday 21 March, please take part."
Pete Benton, ONS Director of Census Operations, said: “The census is such an important undertaking that helps inform the vital services we all rely on every single day within our communities. We wanted to shine a light on the buildings and landmarks that matter most to their local areas, highlighting the importance of the census in helping shape the communities we live in.
“We’re thrilled with all the support we have received so far and would like to thank Colchester Borough Council for their participation. Now is the time for everyone to complete their census and be part of history.”
Every household in England and Wales should have now received their census letters with unique access codes enabling them to fill in their census online. Paper forms are available for those who need it, plus a range of other support.
In the coming days, the census field operation will begin contacting households who have not completed their census. They will never enter a house, they will always be socially distanced, be equipped with PPE and work in line with all government guidance.
If you need any help, or request a paper form, you can visit the census website www.census.gov.uk.
The census support centre (freephone 0800 141 2021 in England and 0800 169 2021 in Wales) is available if you can’t find the help you need online.
For further information on Census 2021, visit https://census.gov.uk/.
Page last reviewed: 19 March 2021