Locals were treated to a Dawn Chorus featuring pauline black, lead singer of the Ska Revival Band the selecter. Coventry through and through. Riverflows. I ve lived in coventry for very many years and to even be in a city that is Coventry City Of Culture was Good, but to be asked to perform at the opening ceremony, ijust thought, wow it was fantastic, it was brilliant, and to have it in Spon End, it was brilliant as well. The colours, lovely, and im glad it stayed dry for them, not pouring down with rain. Action. Im singing The River song, i am The River, as you can see, with all this wonderful Kind Of Blue Make Up and all this flowing veil. Because there is a river that runs underneath The City. And, of course, that is kind of, the life spring, the well of everything, thats the reason why they settled, because there was a river. Its like miss haversham i know this area and i know the people round here, or some of the people round here, and to have them actually contribute the lyrics, ijust thought, wow, that s wonderful. One of those local lyricists is mark gibbins, better known as gibbo. Ive lived in Spon End now for about, i think, over 35 years, it is. You know, it gets a bit of a bad rap, people believe all the hype that they hear about it, but you come round here at night and its quiet, you can hear a pin drop. The river sherbourne, it flows right past my house, Meanders Windingly through the estate, comes right by the Community Centre. You know, if there weren t a Brick Wall there, i could throw a stone in it from here, you know. And its at the Community Centre where gibbo runs a Men S Mental Health support group. It s a place where men can come along and speak freely about whatever issues are affecting them at that time in their life. And to help him come up with some Good lyrics, gibbo turned to one of the group 7 local Poet Tommy feathers. Tommy is an actual client . We did Brain Storming Sessions so we came up with loads of words, some actual lines . I mean, tommy was flowing with poetry. He was freestyling, like, you know. He was really Good. Turns to haste as recognition of the past i struggled a bit, but i Got a couple of potential Good bits out that i think were Good, you know. Has taken my tree away. Thats Good for me, isnt it . It sjust nice to have the opportunity to actually be able to speak about the area that i live in, and to highlight Spon End, you know and what a great area it is to me. Inspired by pauline s song, a group of young people decide to follow the course of The River as it flows underneath The City. Most towns and cities were built up by a river, but in coventry, that river was covered over in The City centre, so you might say to people, oh, yeah, theres a river that runs through coventry, a lot of people would say they ve never seen one. So, a group of young people follow thatjourney of The River, having encountered Pauline Singing her song on the bridge. Starring in the video of The River Runners Journey are two young dancers, childhood Friends Nancy and louis. So, we met at school. It was the induction day, so we were in year six maybe 10, 11 years old at this point. By The End of the day, i asked her to be my girlfriend. And my reply was, i [ll tell you in september, i literally said it like that, septemben she walked out of the gate and looked over her shoulder so majestically and then i had to wait a whole summer to find out the answer, and it was worth it because i Got a yes. I grew up born and bred in coventry, The City of villains, and ijust knew that i wanted more, and whatever it was i knew there was a greater calling and there was a purpose for me out there. And i had come across dancing on the tv. I didn t even know, i Wasn T exposed to these kind of things, It Wasn T, not that It Wasn T acceptable but it was so unconventional, so far away from me, you know. Some people put coventry down, and you need some people put coventry down, and you need to some people put coventry down, and you need to leave some people put coventry down, and you need to leave it some people put coventry down, and you need to leave it to some people put coventry down, and you need to leave it to the you need to leave it to the resilience you need to leave it to the resilience of you need to leave it to the resilience of the you need to leave it to the resilience of The City. You need to leave it to the resilience of The City. How| you need to leave it to the resilience of The City. How diverse we are, resilience of The City. How diverse we are, how resilience of The City. How diverse we are, how resilient resilience of The City. How diverse we are, how resilient everyone i resilience of The City. How diversej we are, how resilient everyone is. We are we are, how resilient everyone is. We are a we are, how resilient everyone is. We are a community. On their way into The City centre, The River runners encounter six exotically dressed energies, who Make Up the spirit of The City. All well known coventry faces, like paralympian sprinter kare adenegan. Im the energy of resilience. Coventry has a great history of resilience linked to the blitz, so its a great way to celebrate that and also embody that. The energies give poetic wisdom. When you feel like stopping, know that your city persisted. When you feel alone, know that those who have come before you are cheering you on, they walked so that you can run, and you will run so that those after you will be able to fly. Another of the energies is Artist And Model daniel, embodying the spirit of innovation. I and model daniel, embodying the spirit of innovation. Spirit of innovation. I grew up in a villaue on spirit of innovation. I grew up in a village on the spirit of innovation. I grew up in a village on the Border Spirit of innovation. I grew up in a village on the border of spirit of innovation. I grew up in a village on the border of coventry. J village on the border of coventry. All My Village on the border of coventry. All my family are in coventry. I went all my family are in coventry. I went to all my family are in coventry. I went to school in coventry as well. This is went to school in coventry as well. This is where i grew up. It has been amazing this is where i grew up. It has been amazing my this is where i grew up. It has been amazing. My life is so crazy, and i have amazing. My life is so crazy, and i have lieen amazing. My life is so crazy, and i have been travelling the world constantly, and all of sudden i am back with constantly, and all of sudden i am back with my mum. Close back with my mum. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine close your eyes for a moment and imagine a close your eyes for a moment and imagine a place where creation is constant imagine a place where creation is constant. Where there is Courage And Space constant. Where there is Courage And Space to constant. Where there is Courage And Space to transcend and test. Compared to 18 years aGo, it has been compared to 18 years aGo, it has been very compared to 18 years aGo, it has been very different. People have been been very different. People have been very been very different. People have been very positive. I rememberjust outside been very positive. I rememberjust outside there i was bullied at the Bus Stop outside there i was bullied at the Bus Stop for being, you know, queer, all the Bus Stop for being, you know, queer, all the time Bus Stop for being, you know, queer, all the time. Now i canjust happily walk across all the time. Now i canjust happily walk across The City with a few smiles, walk across The City with a few smiles, a walk across The City with a few smiles, a few glares, but. We smiles, a few glares, but. We need smiles, a few glares, but. We need to start appreciating Each Other, we need to start appreciating Each Other, and we need to start appreciating Each Other, and i hope The City of culture other, and i hope The City of culture does that. It is time that we accept culture does that. It is time that we accept Each Other because we are all here meanwhile in the suburbs, people and horses are gathering. Modern Godiva'>Day Lady Godiva is preparing to ride into town from the four corners of The City. We have 1a women who do extraordinary things across The City, making change within the cities with some of the most disadvantaged communities. People who are really active during the pandemic particular. The original Godiva'>Lady Godiva pandemic particular. The original Godiva'>Lady Godiva Rode Pandemic particular. The original Godiva'>Lady Godiva rode naked pandemic particular. The original Godiva'>Lady Godiva rode naked through L Pandemic particular. The original i Godiva'>Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets of 11th Century Coventry in protest against high taxes for the town � s folk. Today � s 21st Century Equivalent are modestly dressed, and most had to learn how to ride a horse. Iam the i am the kind of person who would ride on horse naked if it was to fight social Injustice And Protest in a creative way, like Godiva'>Lady Godiva. So thats probably why i was nominated and selected. I come from a community that are considered to be the lowest of the low. We are downtrodden. We are seen as subhuman and those kind of ideas and ideologies carried on here in the uk, and dissemination is still an issue. In the uk, and dissemination is still an issue. Enoy it where you can and try still an issue. Enoy it where you can and try not still an issue. Enjoy it where you can and try not to still an issue. Enjoy it where you can and try not to be still an issue. Enjoy it where you can and try not to be as still an issue. Enjoy it where you | can and try not to be as panicked and scared can and try not to be as panicked and scared as you might look. Try and scared as you might look. Try and flip and scared as you might look. Try and flip the and scared as you might look. Try and flip the switch. | and scared as you might look. Try and flip the switch. And scared as you might look. Try and flip the switch. I thought i had Horse Riding and flip the switch. I thought i had Horse Riding experience, and flip the switch. I thought i had Horse Riding experience, but and flip the switch. I thought i had Horse Riding experience, but no, l Horse Riding experience, but no, what i wrote 13 years aGo was a donkey, im sure it was. I am excited, but nervous, too. Riding a horse in the streets in a procession. Abs, horse in the streets in a procession. Horse in the streets in a procession. Horse in the streets in a rocession. ,. ,. , procession. A lot of these ladies have never procession. A lot of these ladies have never sat procession. A lot of these ladies have never sat on procession. A lot of these ladies have never sat on a procession. A lot of these ladies have never sat on a horse procession. A lot of these Ladies L have never sat on a horse before, not even have never sat on a horse before, not even on have never sat on a horse before, not even on a donkey on Blackpool Beach not even on a donkey on Blackpool Beach so not even on a donkey on Blackpool Beach. So to get them on a real horse beach. So to get them on a real horse that beach. So to get them on a real horse that is moving in a parade of environment with drummers and Trumbets Environment with drummers and trumpets and flags and people, it is Going trumpets and flags and people, it is Going to trumpets and flags and people, it is Going to be a challenge. This trumpets and flags and people, it is Going to be a challenge. Going to be a challenge. This is tob. He Going to be a challenge. This is tobv he has Going to be a challenge. This is toby. He has been Going to be a challenge. This is toby. He has been my Going to be a challenge. This is toby. He has been my mate i Going to be a challenge. This is i toby. He has been my mate since Going to be a challenge. This is toby. He has been my mate since the start. Ive been on him every time. We are very well matched. When i first saw him, i was like, he looks a bit slow. But yeah. Good mates now. I a bit slow. But yeah. Good mates now. ,. ,. ,. , now. I feel really honoured to be involved, now. I feel really honoured to be involved. L now. I feel really honoured to be involved, i am now. I feel really honoured to be involved, i am really now. I feel really honoured to be involved, i am really excited. Involved, i am really excited. Ive involved, i am really excited. Ive Got involved, i am really excited. Ive Got apples for you. As they make ready. Ive Got apples for you. As they make ready, the ive Got apples for you. As they make ready, the streets ive Got apples for you. As they make ready, the streets reverberate to a different sound. Cars. All of them, at one time or another, made in coventry. The motorcade stops at various points on its journey through The City. Out leap dancers. Irish. Caribbean. Bollywood. Each Routine A tribute to different migrant communities that came to coventry to help rebuild after destruction in the war. I help rebuild after destruction in the war. ~ ,. ,. , the war. I think everyone on this street really the war. I think everyone on this street really needed the war. I think everyone on this street really needed that the war. I think everyone on this street really needed that after i the war. I think everyone on this I Street really needed that after the past 18 months. Just to have that happen on our street, it has cheered everyone up. Yes, love it. I happen on our street, it has cheered everyone up. Yes, love it. Everyone up. Yes, love it. I have lived on this everyone up. Yes, love it. I have lived on this Street Everyone up. Yes, love it. I have lived on this street all everyone up. Yes, love it. I have lived on this street all of everyone up. Yes, love it. I have lived on this street all of my everyone up. Yes, love it. I havej lived on this street all of my life. My parents live six doors up, and we have never my parents live six doors up, and we have never seen anything like that. It have never seen anything like that. It has have never seen anything like that. It has always been a friendly, multicultural street, but that was ust multicultural street, but that was just brilliant. Itjust brought everyone together. The just brilliant. Itjust brought everyone together. Just brilliant. Itjust brought eve one touether. , everyone together. The irish settled first and brought everyone together. The irish settled first and brought with everyone together. The irish settled first and brought with them everyone together. The irish settled first and brought with them their first and brought with them their love of dance. Two of the Motorcade Performers are sisters. 17 year old grace, and 14 year old molly. We ve Got a very irish background, and most of our family is irish. Our mum also irish danced at the same school that we dance at as well, so it is inevitable that we were Going to dance really and carry on the tradition in the family. I placed second in the World Championships and in the top five in all major competitions. I won the us nationals twice, i won the scottish nationals, the all scotland, the great britains, and yeah, i ve been very successful. Big jumps, Good girl. Their Rehearsal Studio is tucked in behind the old standard triumph club. A social hub once surrounded by Production Lines churning out cars with household names. A reminder of an industry that once employed generations of coventry workers. Our grandparents came over to work in the Building Industry over 50 years aGo and one of the things they were involved in building was the Ring Road and they set their roots here, they built their family here and our whole family have been thriving in coventry ever since. Can i see you pointing out the person you will have a connection with . During rehearsals for todays event, the sisters have found themselves sharing their skills with their fellow dancers. We do our irish dancing, there is bangra dancing, ska dancing, and then there is a Mash Up at The End where we get to learn parts of their dancing, which has been really fun. It s like walking for us we just find it, because we ve been doing it for so long. Doing the steps, being taught the steps without the music is like, yeah, i can do this. And then the music comes on and you realise how fast it is. I suppose if you have trained i for years and years, it is easy. I think that if i don t have to do it to the music it is fine. And if they accept that mine wont it to the music it is fine. Will be perfectly fine. And then actually Going back to the basics and having to teach from the very first steps, you can see the challenge on their face. It was very difficult, but i think if they did it in slow motion, i will always get it. But at full speed, it was just great to watch her. I think being part of City Of Culture is an amazing opportunity, and to be part of something that is Going to be so world wide and hopefully will be something that will Go down in history as amazing, to be a part of that will hopefully be something that i can show my family in the future and they will be proud of me. Reena and the Godivas are on their way into The City centre. Their mission to hand over a petition to civic leaders opposite the ruins of the old cathedral. Hope that. Represent all the voices of everybody in coventry and not just| women, absolutely everybody, but representing the whole city. On the opposite side of The City, the streets are streaming with bikes and tricycles. Pedal power one of many life changing innovations that coventry can take credit for. Coventry was the first place to mass produce a bicycle and this feels like something that is very important to celebrate of The City s democratic heritage. We produced bicycles so that people all over the world could cycle from A To B in a much speedier way than if they were walking. Inspiration is everywhere it is really Good, you dont see that kind of thing here, ever. So it wasjust nice to see something different. I it was really Good. Rena and her horse both reach the destination in one piece. These women present their Vision Of The Future to the political leaders of The City. Future to the political leaders of the ci. ,. , The City. Living together in a cultural understanding, The City. Living together in a cultural understanding, and | cultural understanding, and embracing diversity. Pauline black S Day comes to an end underneath the canopy of cofa s tree. Words of hope, written on the ribbons by the people of coventry. Their aspirations for the future of The City. Legend has it that cofa s tree was a tree that was planted by a man called cofa by the settlement when it was first built up by The River so that people from all around could see where the settlement was and come to it with ease, and over the Years Cofa s tree apparently became coventry. The banners on the approaches are designed a local school children, reflecting the themes of the days event. Three of them are from the coventry extended learning centre. A Pupil Referral Unit for children struggling in mainstream education. They designed the banner on the theme of socialjustice. I drew a mouth to project why everyone should have the freedom of speech. A lot of our students have come here because they have either been manage moved or permanently excluded. Mainstream Hasn T worked for them for whatever reason. For them to come here and be part of the Banner Creation is great pride for me, for them and for their parents. Because they have had such difficult journeys, and just to be seen in a different light is really amazing. It makes us look like i we have a really great achievement in our lives, showing people that we can do a lot of great stuff. That is our banner, the third one down, socialjustice. That is brilliant doesnt that look great . Seeing their banner up for the first time is a magic moment. I feel proud because we ve worked on something that is actually Going to be put up and so loads of people can see it. Fantastic, brilliant, all of my hard work and time that i put into that, yet. I think they are just the most wonderful people i have ever worked with. And ijust want them to be seen as these amazing young people that they are. Whenever i take my friends out i can show them what i did, and i am proud of me. Look what i did. Are you proud of me . Look what i did. Are you proud of me . 0urs look what i did. Are you proud of me . Ours is look what i did. Are you proud of me . Ours is the best. Highfive 12 hours after it began and thiS Day of cultural celebration is reaching its climax. A musical moment designed to unite everyone across The City. Run it again, that would be lovely, please. Composer, Danjones Is Famous For Making Epic Compostions using Ice Cream vans and hot air balloons. We strategized about how we were Going to deliver a piece of music that could reach all of coventry citizens in the space of 7 or 8 minutes. So, we came up with this idea of working with different Radio Stations with a layer of music and if people came together each Radio Station had a layer of music but with all seven of those Radio Stations playing, they would hear the full composition. It is kind of in the model of clapping for carers, people Going to their front door, Going out into their front garden, into the street, and sensing that communality of making something happen together. In the Run Up to the premiere, some the children who gave their voices for the composition get a sneak preview. We went into schools with a microphone and we did two things we interviewed them about the future, talking about the future. We also recorded them singing their own musical ideas, so rather than me telling them what to sing, i wanted them to tell me what to write. I then had the job of managing to weave together all those different musical lines, and so today was the first time they ve heard that, the fruits of their labour. Ready, three, two, one. Go layered spoken Word And Choral singing. It was loud and i liked it and i really loved it. I heard myself and i said i hope singing never Goes away. It is Good that people showed i that they liked their community and the whole entire world. I was so proud of myself, i was smiling. Basically, the children of coventry are taking over all of coventry s independent Radio Stations, and hopefully itll spread all across coventry from the centre outwards into the beautiful suburbs. Time then for the people of coventry to come together 7 in their musicalfinale. We are having a Street Party to end all street parties. The residents of Stanley Road getting the bunting out to mark the occasion. We are celebrating City Of Culture. It is Going to be really fascinating to see how all of the different streams come together and then work as one. Im excited to see how that is Going to play. Like a symphony of radios to create one piece of music. A bit anxious but fingers crossed it is Going to sound amazing. We are coming out of covid. We are embracing our community, we are embracing our city. Who cares if it doesnt sound Good . We are here, we are doing it. At exactly 20 21, its time to close the show. I just imagine that the wind in the leaves of the trees. I normally hear the wind whistling. Like when you are trying to whistle, and you cant. When it is quiet, i like it because it is peaceful. We just stood in the Middle Of The Road and we could hear all of the different pieces of music and it made me feel really emotional. It made me feel massively proud that i am from coventry. I was like, yes, we have Got our place now on the map that was a great bit of music, wasnt it . Laughter sometimes people or places can get caught up in the past, but it is really important to focus on the future, and i think coventry has Got loads of things that are happening in the pipeline. There will be less people getting sick, no more coronavirus. Hello. Blue skies where you have it today will bring some pretty hot weather with it, but elsewhere, even if the cloud is with you, it will still be a warm and humid one. The cloud we have seen already today will break up to allow some sunny spells. The cloud does remain thickest across the highlands and islands, and here and into Orkney And Shetland later in the day there will be outbreaks of rain becoming more extensive. That will keep Pollen Levels at bay, but further south high levels across much of england, not helped by the sun, humid conditions and heat. Up to 29 celsius in one or two spots. 26 in the east of scotland. 28 or 29 in wembley for the england s Opening Match against croatia. Very humid conditions. You will need your water if you have tickets. A humid night tonight. Things turn fresh across scotland and Northern Ireland. Do the south, 15 or 16 will be the low into tomorrow morning. If you spots will be warmer than that. The Dividing Line is a Weather Front. Will be warmer than that. The Dividing Line is a weatherfront. To the South And East, humid air gradually getting squeezed out as we Go through the day tomorrow. Something a bit fresher across the north, but sunshine and showers to scotland and later in Northern Ireland. Brightening up in northern England And North wales. This Weather Front starts with cloud and patchy rain or drizzle, pushing south and by The End of the day, it is to the South And East whether humid out lasts longer. Up to 30 in the South East corner, compared to the South East corner, compared to the mid to high teens across the northern half of the country. So a big contrast on monday. Not as dark on tuesday with high pressure moving back and ahead of another wave of tropical air heading our way from the west later. That comes with some cloud and outbreaks of Rain Into The West of Northern Ireland, the West Of Scotland later in the day. A dry and bright day for most. The best of the sunshine in england and wales. Temperatures in the south not as hot and Humid Sunday and monday, but still warm with temperature is creeping back up once again. Very humid night to follow. A Weather Front pushes into scotland and Northern Ireland and almost grinds to a halt, allowing more humid air from the south. By The End of wednesday, temperatures potentially reach 29 or 30 in the South East and we could see some storms which will rumble on into wednesday night. This is bbc news. Im ben brown, live in cornwall, for the final day of the G7 Meeting of World Leaders, where the climate emergency takes centre stage. Sir David Attenborough will throw down the gauntlet to World Leaders telling them the choices they make on Climate Change will be some of the most important in human history. Tea with the queen her majesty will host president Joe Biden at Windsor Castle this afternoon. As World Leaders start their third and last day of discussions with a final communique being published this afternoon. Well have the very latest. Im ben mundy. The other main stories in the uk and around the world this hour. A decision on whether Lockdown Restrictions will be lifted in england will be announced tomorrow with Boris Johnson urging caution ahead of a possible four week delay