THE National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth has been lit in purple over the weekend to raise awareness of census day.

Today (Sunday, 21 March) is Census Day, a snapshot of life in Wales, England and Northern Ireland, held every 10 years.

Scotland’s Census has been delayed until March 2022 due to coronavirus.

The pandemic also means the Census in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be the first to be primarily completed online.

To mark the occasion and to raise awareness, the National Library of Wales, along with hundreds of other buildings and landmarks across the country, has been illuminated in purple over the weekend to celebrate the census and its importance to communities.

The census helps inform the provision of public services across the country, such as determining the appropriate number of school places and hospital beds that are needed to properly serve their communities.

A spokesperson for Ceredigion County Council said: “A successful Census will help give the best picture of the needs of everyone living in Wales and England.

“It takes just 10 minutes per person to take part and if you can’t get online, there are paper forms available for those who need them. Now is the time to make your mark on history.”

Every household in England and Wales should have received their census letters with unique access codes enabling them to fill in their census online.

This Census is the most inclusive yet. Everyone can identify as they wish using search as you type online and write-in options on paper if they need it.

The questionnaire includes questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity.

And, for the first time, there will be a question asking people whether they have served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity.

In Wales, households will also be asked a specific question about their Welsh language skills. And those who wish to complete the Census in Welsh can do so both online and in paper form. There are "Cymraeg" and "English" buttons to switch between languages at any time online, and on paper you can use Welsh and English on the same form.

Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations.

It is important that households complete the Census and failing to do so could land you with a £1,000 fine.

The Census Act 1920 makes it compulsory for everyone in England and Wales to take part.

The Act makes answering the questions mandatory. Repeated failure to complete it could result in a fine of up to £1,000.

If you’ve lost your census form then you need to obtain a unique access code in order to login to your census account online.A spokesperson for the National Library of Wales said: "The census is of particular importance to the library of course, as an organisation that specialises in family history research."The census has been taken in England and Wales every 10 years since 1801 with the exception of 1941 and the 2021 Census will be the 22nd census in England and Wales."Registered Library readers can now access Ancestry Library to view historical census records to 1911 for free at home. "Visit https://ancestry.library.wales or https://discover.library.wales and use the Access to Ancestry link."

Further information is available on the Census website: www.census.gov.uk