Marking Hiroshima and Nagasaki Day on Thursday, August 6, the candle float commemorated the 81st anniversary of the 1945 nuclear bombings in Japan and honoured victims of nuclear weapons and related activities worldwide. Each candle represented approximately 1,000 lives lost during the bombings, with a total of 200 candles lit in remembrance. "We in the UK should lead by choosing a different path, and saving billions of pounds, so essential for our day to day lives." Salisbury is a member of Mayors for Peace and has close links with Hiroshima. The Mayor of Hiroshima, as quoted in the ceremony, warned that ongoing global conflicts are “accelerating military build-ups around the world” and undermining peace-building efforts.