It’s a great moment every year when the largest St George’s Cross in England is unfurled on Nottingham’s Council House.
At 60ft wide, it’s an impressive sight, and all the more so because so many places and people seem to shy away from celebrating the day of our patron saint, approaching it with a mix of embarrassment, ignoring it or labelling it as ‘old-fashioned’ (or worse).
Why can’t we take one day where we celebrate being English? Other nationalities have no qualms about wheeling out the patriotic paraphernalia on the relevant day. Our neighbours in Wales, Scotland and Ireland mark their national days with passion and vigour. Further afield, it’s not a rare sight to see a national flag proudly flying in a front garden. But do it here and you’d be shunned in certain neighbourhoods - unless a football tournament is on.
My heritage is a mix of Irish and Scottish with a Jewish grandmother thrown in, but I was born in England and am proud to say so.
Poll: Are you planning an event for King Charles III’s Coronation? Let us know here
Since my children joined the Scouting movement I’ve seen St George’s Day in a different light. He’s the patron saint of the organisation and April 23 is a hugely significant date in the Scouting calendar. Young people and leaders with freshly-pressed neckers take over town centres all over the country, parading section and country flags, often accompanied by marching bands. Where I live, everything stops for this parade and the turnout is always huge. It has made me feel we do have something to celebrate as a nation, despite the constant barrage of bad news.
We need to reclaim our celebrations of St George’s Day, take it back off the far right and remember it is not a crime to be proud to be English. St George’s Day is for everyone, whether they were born here or have chosen to make their life here. Yes we’ve got very dark corners of English history that no-one would be proud of - as have most other countries - but if we don’t try and make St George’s Day a more positive occasion, we risk losing our national identity and what it really means to be born, live, work and thrive here, forever.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
READ NEXT:
