"Proud to be Pompey" campaign will see Portsmouth lord mayor and lady mayoress visit local schools and celebrate city's heritage

A third of Portsmouth’s infant, junior and primary schools will invite pupils to dress in blue and and take part in activities which will see them celebrate their heritage on Friday, October 20. The “Proud to be Pompey Day” scheme comes as part of this year’s Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress Charity Appeal, and money raised through fundraising will go towards Portsmouth Hospitals Charity, Home Start and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC).

NOW READ: Royal Navy museum to exhibit historic replica of HMS Victory

Lord mayor councillor Tom Coles and lady mayoress Nikki Coles said they are excited to visit schools they haven’t been to before, sharing Portsmouth history with children and teaching them about their mayoral duties. The pair explained that they hope that children will have fun while also learning about the the city’s culture and heritage.

As part of the celebrations, they visited Hamilton House care home earlier this week and spoke to children from Pineapple Tots – part of an intergenerational group - and care home residents who all donned Pompey blue. Some visits will take place on Thursday, October 19 prior to the day itself.

The celebration comes a day before Trafalgar Day – which will mark 218 years since the Battle of Trafalgar involving HMS Victory – and will kick off the half term holidays.

NOW READ: Loveable Leigh Park lollipop lady retires after 12 years

The Mary Rose Trust and Portsmouth Museum have provided educational resources for the childrens’ activities and each school will be given a family ticket for the D-Day Story to distribute through raffles or competitions.

Schools have been sent a leaflet full of activities that are also taking place thanks to Portsmouth Museum over the half term.

The lord mayor and lady mayoress will be visiting 11 schools across the two-day celebration, and added that they hope to visit more in the future.