The Mersey Gateway Bridge in Halton joins more than 100 landmarks across England and Wales in lighting up purple this weekend to celebrate the upcoming census and its importance to communities.

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

Mersey Gateway is lighting up in the Census 2021 brand colour from Friday March 19 through to March 21, along with other iconic landmarks and buildings such as the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, BT Tower in London and Blackpool Tower.

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 so far and would like to thank the people of Halton for their participation. 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.

Papers forms are available for those who need it, plus a range of other support. If you need any help, or to request a paper form, you can visit www.census.gov.uk

Census support centre (freephone 0800 141 2021 in England and 0800 169 2021 in Wales) is available if you can’t find the help you need online.

For further information on Census 2021, visit https://census.gov.uk/