International Day of Peace Celebrated in Lyric Square

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Local children send messages on white balloons and a giant dove

White balloons bearing messages of peace and happiness floated above the Hammersmith skyline on September 21 week to mark the International Day of Peace.

Dozens of schoolchildren joined the Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham, Cllr Mercy Umeh in Lyric Square to celebrate the day, first established by the United Nations in 1981, which invites the whole world to commit and contribute to a culture of peace.

Students from Phoenix High school, St Paul’s Primary, Normand Croft, Larmenier and Sacred Heart and Brackenbury primary supported the event’s peace pledge by signing tags and attaching them to the balloons.

They were also invited to write their own pledge and stick it on a giant dove, which was suspended in the square.

The Mayor led the crowd in a rendition of the peace pledge before handing over to speakers including Councillor Sue Fennimore, Borough Commander Gideon Springer, Reverend Simon Down of St Paul’s Hammersmith, Sian Alexander of the Lyric Hammersmith and Buddhist Wayne Ting.

Live performances of Let There Be Peace on Earth and Somewhere Over the Rainbow were sung by Catherine Bench.

The event was brought to a close by the lighting of candles and the balloon release by the borough's first Youth Mayor, Aminiata Koroma.

Around 100 people attended the event, which was organised by the HammersmithLondon Business Improvement District (BID) and Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

HammersmithLondon BID Director, Patricia Bench, said: "It was lovely to see Lyric Square awash with local schoolchildren celebrating this important day. People of all faiths and backgrounds came together to enjoy the event and they all signed the BID’s giant peace dove with messages of hope for the future.

"It was a great example of the Hammersmith community coming together."