Let’s have our own Thanksgiving Day every single year
THIS year we celebrate something truly special. For four brilliant days this summer, our country will come together for a genuinely historic event – the Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years since our Queen ascended the throne.
No other monarch has served our country for so long. And at 95, Her Majesty is still going strong – an absolutely remarkable achievement in itself – even vowing to carry on working after contracting Covid.
But you don’t need me to tell you that there is far more to the story than that.
Through a lifetime of service, tragedy and triumph, our Queen has shown us how great we can be. Her resilience is our resilience; her strength is our strength. Her example and leadership offer a reflection of our national character at its very best.
That’s something to celebrate. And that’s why this year, through the Together Coalition – an initiative that includes the Church of England, the NHS, the England football team, the Royal Voluntary Service, Rotary International and the Scouts – we’re inviting the whole country, from the Shetland Islands to the Isles of Scilly to get together on the final of day of the Jubilee weekend for Thank You Day.
We want to make this the biggest “thank you” party the country has ever seen, with more than 10 million people – a record-breaking day for a record-breaking Queen.
SO PUT the date of Sunday, June 5 in your diaries now, and let’s get together as friends, families and communities to raise a glass to Her Majesty for 70 years of outstanding service – and to say a great big “thank you” to each other as well.
After all, if the last two years have taught us anything it’s the importance of connection and community. It’s been a really tough time, but it’s also shown us Britain at its best – not just the volunteers and key workers, but every single one of us. Each person who has done their bit for a friend or neighbour to help get them through the pandemic deserves our gratitude.
That’s what Thank You Day is all about. It doesn’t matter what you do – it could be a Big Jubilee Lunch, a concert, a kickabout in the park or afternoon tea on the village green.
Rope in neighbours, rekindle old friendships and open yourself up to new ones.
What matters is that we all get together in our communities for one special day and recognise all the extraordinary acts that make this country such a brilliant place to live.
But let’s not leave it there. I’ve got absolutely no doubt it’s going to be a brilliant day, so why don’t we do it every year?
Let’s mark out one special day each year, a new and permanent bank holiday to express our gratitude – a “Thank Holiday”. It’s not just the Daily Express that’s backing the campaign.The movement is growing all the time. Everyone from the CBI to the British Retail Consortium to the TUC are behind it. That’s no surprise, because we have fewer bank holidays than almost anywhere else in the world.
But at the same time, this is much more than just another day off. It’s about maintaining the ties that bind us together.
In a world of remote working and online shopping it’s far too easy for us to lose touch.
Too many people are cut off from their communities. That was true pre-Covid but it’s even more true and urgent now, and it’s causing huge mental health problems across the board.
At the extremes, this means isolation and loneliness, but for each and every one of us it means missing the spark of those daily interactions that put a spring in your step, build friendships and foster connections.
By creating time to come together – to say “thank you” to each other for all the things we appreciate, big and small – we can do something special.
WE CAN make our worlds and those of our neighbours just a little warmer. We can break down barriers that leave people feeling alone. And we can rebuild that sense of community that we all long to feel.
It might seem like a little thing, but in the end it’s the sum of all those little things that make our lives worth living.
So let me end with this. Thank You Day will only happen if we all get behind it. So put June 5 in your diary and get planning for the biggest party the country has ever seen, and get on board with the campaign for an annual Thank Holiday.
Let’s give a huge thank you to our Queen and all our community heroes, by creating something worthy of their sacrifice and service. Let’s build something truly special this year – and make it an annual tradition for generations to come.
‘We want to make this the biggest thank you party the country has ever seen’