Community groups, Team England athletes and representatives of Birmingham City Council gathered at Victoria Square for a special celebration today. 

The St George’s Day event in the heart of Birmingham was arranged by the City Council in recognition of England’s national day, in the same year that Birmingham is set to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Groups that received funding from the council through its Celebrating Communities Scheme were able to attend today's event. 

In addition to supporting organisations in all 69 of the city's wards, the £2 milllion ($2.5 million/€2.3 million) programme is also designed to help people celebrate and embrace Birmingham 2022. 

The city's community had the chance to discuss the expectations for the Games with Team England athletes, including world champion gymnast Joe Fraser, high jumper Laura Zialor, judokas Kelly Petersen-Pollard and Dan Powell, along with boxer Delicious Orie and wheelchair basketball player Siobhan Fitzpatrick. 

Members from the City Council, officers helping deliver the Games and Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Muhammad Afzal were also in attendance. 

"The flag is just a brilliant example of of how we're trying to bring our communities together," said Deborah Cadman, who is the chief executive of Birmingham City Council. 

"It's been a fantastic morning with representatives of the community groups that we're supporting through the Commonwealth Games, and we're absolutely clear it's not just the 11 days of sport, it is about the culture, it's about cohesion, it's about diversity. 

"It's about bringing all parts of Birmingham together to enjoy and embrace the spirit of the Commonwealth Games."

"I'm from Birmingham myself, so being in a home Games, it's literally down the road," said judoka Kelly Petersen-Pollard. 

"So it's huge and we're doing more media things and we're building up to it, like today with St George's Day. 

"It's really exciting and I can't wait."

The Celebrating Communities groups that attended the event included Ashanti Netball of North Edgbaston ward, which is using its funding from the council to host a series of netball sessions across the community. 

Sharlene King, who is the manager of Ashanti Netball Club, has emphasised the importance of receiving funding via celebrated communities to keep the sport going on, especially after the pandemic where a lot of sports clubs have lost so many resources during COVID. 

"We've been running as a club since 1989 and we didn't want to just stop because of the pandemic," King told insidethegames. 

"So I think the funding has really helped to build back our members and get us back on the court."

The other Celebrating Communities groups that attended the event were Changing Lives Through Rugby of Erdington ward, Friends of George’s Park and Impact Fitness Academy of Lozells ward, Khawateen Creative Minds of Tyseley and Hay Mills ward, Misfits Music Foundation of Moseley ward and Sikh Nari Manch UK based in Stockland Green. 

With a surface area of more than 400 square metres, the flag is one of the biggest St George's Day flags in the Commonwealth Games host city. 

The Commonwealth Games is billed as a great opportunity to welcome community groups from across the city, and is set to help bring local people together and embrace diversity. 

The Games are scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham and across the West Midlands.