On Friday and Sunday the exterior facade of the Library of Birmingham will be lit up purple from 8:21pm to support National Census Week.

Birmingham Library joins landmarks to go purple in celebration of Census 2021 

The Library of Birmingham, Old Joe clock tower and Aston Villa will join more than a hundred buildings and landmarks across England and Wales by lighting up purple to celebrate the upcoming census and its importance to communities this weekend. 

The event is being organised by The Office for National Statistics (ONS) to raise awareness of census day on March 21, a survey that happens every ten years and gives a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. 

Old Joe at University of Birmingham in Edgbaston, the library and Aston Villa Football Club's ground will join other iconic landmarks including the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, BT Tower in London and Blackpool Tower, who are signed up for the celebration. They will all light up in the Census 2021 brand colour on the evening of Friday March 19 and Census Day on March 21.

The census helps inform the provision of public services throughout the UK, such as determining the appropriate number of school places and hospital beds that are needed to properly serve their communities. Pete Benton, ONS Director of Census Operations, commented: “The census is such an important undertaking that helps inform the vital services we all rely on every single day within our communities. We wanted to shine a (purple!) light on the buildings and landmarks that matter most to their local areas, highlighting the importance of the census in helping shape the communities we live in. We’re thrilled with all the support we have received. Now is the time for everyone to complete their census and be part of history”  

Every household in England and Wales will now be receiving their census letters with unique access codes enabling them to fill in their census online. Census day is March 21, but you can fill yours in as soon as you receive your letter if you’re confident there will be no change in who usually lives in your household. 

Full information about Census 2021 can be found be visiting the Census 2021 website.

Article posted 19 March 2021.