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PM's article on Royal Wedding street parties

Prime Minister David Cameron has written an article in The Sun urging all communities to get together and celebrate the Royal Wedding on April 29.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Prime Minister David Cameron has written an article in The Sun urging all communities to get together and celebrate the Royal Wedding on April 29.

Read the article

April 29 is going to be a very special day. First and foremost it’s a special day for two young people.

Like so many Sun readers, I’ve got huge respect for Prince William and Catherine Middleton and wish them every happiness.

But it’s also a special day for everyone in Britain. It’s a chance for all of us to come together and celebrate the great things about our country.

There are lots of ways to do this, and we’ve got a fantastic tradition in Britain of celebrating these big national occasions.

Of course, we’re usually a little bit understated with our patriotism. But every once in a while - at Royal Weddings and Jubilees for example - we surprise ourselves by just how strongly we feel about this country.

I was 14 years old when Prince William’s parents got married - and I’ll never forget the atmosphere on that day.

This wedding should be just as exciting an occasion for people across Britain to get together - and one great way of doing that is by holding a street party.

I know that there have been stories about petty bureaucracy getting in the way of party planners. But people who want to come together to celebrate with their neighbours should go ahead. We’ve done our bit by ripping up red tape and many councils have done the same.

There are already around 4,000 street parties planned across Britain and there’s still time to organise many more.

Samantha and I will be holding one in Downing Street and bringing together local people and charities.

It’s incredibly simple. All you need to do is to get in touch with your council if you need to close the road. They’ll let you know if there are any issues.

And if you want to have a party in a garden or open space, you don’t even have to do that.

To those councils that are asking small groups of neighbours for licences, insurance and other bureaucracy my message is clear:

Don’t interfere, don’t get in the way and don’t make problems where there are none. Let people get on and have fun.

And my message to everyone who wants to have a street party is: I’m having one and I want you to go ahead and have one too.

The truth is that this is a great chance for communities to come together and celebrate.

So go on - bring out the bunting and let’s make this a day to remember. For everyone.

Published 11 April 2011