FIFTY schoolchildren from across the county have attended a special ceremony to mark Commonwealth Day.

Youngsters from Pinkie St Peter’s Primary, Musselburgh; Sanderson’s Wynd Primary, Tranent; East Linton Primary; and Law Primary, North Berwick, joined Michael Williams, Lord Lieutenant of East Lothian, and Provost Ludovic Broun-Lindsay, outside Haddington Town House on Monday morning.

The ceremony was one of more than 730 taking place across the Commonwealth at 10am. In line with time zones, the first took place in Tonga.

Every ceremony then included the reading out of a special message from Her Majesty The Queen.

Mr Williams said: “It’s lovely to be taking part in this event, knowing that people all over the Commonwealth will be doing the same thing.

“This is the second year of this event and I think it’s really taking off – it’s caught the imagination of thousands of people from all walks of life.

“It’s a symbol of the friendship and co-operation shared by Commonwealth citizens around the world.” Mr Broun-Lindsay was similarly pleased with the turnout.

He added: “I am really delighted that we are able to share this event with schools from across the county.

“The children here have all been working on projects that touch on the Commonwealth, so it’s really appropriate that they can join us to fly the flag and link with children across the world.”