Steele to Celebrate Gloucester Day at Inaugural Site in the United Kingdom
Gloucester County Virginia will be celebrating its Inaugural Gloucester Day Saturday, Sept. 3, in collaboration with other Gloucester's around the nation and the globe. On this day, Gloucester County Administrator, Carol Steele, will be participating at the site of the original Gloucester Day in Gloucester, England. Ms. Steele elected to travel to Europe on a personal vacation and timed the trip so she could attend the events, highlighting the Gloucester Collaboration project. Earlier this year, Gloucester, Virginia and Gloucester, England formed the Gloucester Collaboration, and reached out to other communities with the same name, encouraging communication and collaboration.
The idea for the outreach came from an exciting exchange where approximately a dozen representatives from Gloucester, Virginia had the opportunity to meet with the HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester in 2018. While in the past there have been citizen exchanges from Gloucester, Virginia to Gloucester, UK as well as Gravesend, England, where Pocahontas is buried; the only recent exchanges have happened electronically. Steele will be visiting both locations, meeting with elected officials, staff, and event volunteers. On Saturday, September 3rd, she will be participating in the 12 Bells at 12, recognizing the 12 global communities named Gloucester at the Cathedral in Gloucester UK.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will also be attending Gloucester Day and Steele will be joining them at the bell ringing and for watching the parade in the afternoon. This is the first time the Duke of Gloucester has ever attended the celebration.
Gloria Williams, the Manager for the Community Engagement and Public Information Department, has taken the lead on promoting Gloucester Day locally and is excited with the progress. She mentioned that several churches, organizations, residents, and the Gloucester Main Library will be participating in the 12 Bells at 12. In addition, many local museums will be opening their doors to welcome guests, such as the Gloucester Museum of History, Woodville School, Buck Rowe’s Store Museum, and the Fairfield Foundation’s Timberneck House out at Machicomoco State Park.
“The bell ringing is an easy and accessible way to participate in the event, and anyone who rings a bell at 12 can take pride in knowing that bells are ringing in Gloucester's across the globe,” Williams said.
In addition, the County’s Park, Recreation and Tourism Department will be promoting local walking and driving tours of our community’s rich cultural and historical sites as part of the event. Williams said local community members are asked to reflect on their love for our own “Land of the Life Worth Living,” and share their celebrations by tagging images from the day on the County’s Facebook Page “Gloucester County Virginia.”
Please use the hashtags #YayGloucesterDay or #GloucesterDay2022 when tagging the event on social media. Williams asks that residents and visitors send images of a joyful time in Gloucester, whether they are shopping, dining, bell ringing, or enjoying outdoor recreation.
On Gloucester Day, Williams and Steele plan to communicate, sharing events that are happening at their respective locations. Content from the exchanges will be broadcast for all to see, and the most up-to-date information can be found on the County’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gloucesterva. Williams assures Gloucester residents that it is not too late to participate. “Ring your bell. Enjoy your weekend! We would be honored to be tagged in photos and videos of your family or with your organizations celebrating Gloucester Day.”
Images and videos from our Gloucester will be shared across the ocean so they can be part of a story the BBC is doing on the Collaboration. Steele commented that while she will be formally representing the County in Gravesend and in Gloucester, that the trip is a personal one and her travel expenses have all been paid for personally.
For more information about this year’s Gloucester Day Parade in England, visit: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/gloucesters-historic-civil-war-ritual-gets-royal-seal-of-approval-for-first-time/ar-AA10JhfJ.
To learn more about Gloucester, UK, visit https://www.visitgloucester.co.uk/. To learn more about Gravesend, visit https://youtu.be/NwPwB3j4j2M.
For more information about Gloucester Day, visit the “Inaugural Gloucester Day” event on Facebook, or contact Williams at gwilliams@gloucesterva.info or 804-693-5730.
A photo of Gloucester Representatives meeting with HRH Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester in 2018. Steele is standing in the center on the left, and the Duke of Gloucester Directly across from her.