THE HIROSHIMA and Nagasaki Annual Commemorative Candle Float will return to the river Avon next month to commemorate the thousands of people who lost their lives due to nuclear weapons.

The Salisbury Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is staging the event which will take place on August 8 on the bridge by the clock tower in Salisbury.

This year, the candle float will be joined by lanterns sent from Hiroshima which have been painted by Japanese schoolchildren.

Peter Gloyn from the CND said: “We were not able to run the event during the pandemic as we could not encourage groups of people so recorded the event. But this time, people can come and watch the candle float which will take place as light fades so about 8.45pm. It will take about 45 minutes.”

Following the war in Ukraine, the topic of nuclear weapons has been highlighted as a threat to all nations.

The symbolic candle float is a way to remember the thousands of victims of the nuclear bombs that were dropped in 1945 and to remember other victims of nuclear weapons testing.

The CND is leading the campaign to alert the public to the risks of nuclear weapons to humanity.

The Mayor of Hiroshima has sent a letter of greetings and peace to urge the UK government to sign the United Nations Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The UK government has currently stated it will not sign the Treaty.

All lanterns will be recovered from the river at the end of the candle float.

 

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