St George's Day: The Midlands celebrates the patron saint of England
St George's Day celebrations have been taking place across the region, to celebrate the patron saint of England.
In Nottingham, the day was marked with what's considered to be the biggest England flag in the country, outside the Council House in Market Square. The flag measures sixty by thirty feet.
A celebration was also held at one of the city's oldest pubs, Ye Olde Salutation Inn, which is thought to date back to around 1240.
The Royal Society of St George held their annual party with flags, music and bunting on display, as part of the day's events to mark English history, culture and heritage.
The 23rd April is the anniversary of St George's death.
Even though St George never stepped foot on English soil, history says he heroically ended up slaying a dragon, and rescued a princess from being eaten. And in their gratitude, the people of the town converted to Christianity.
St George is England's patron saint, and is shared with other places like Ethiopia, Catalonia, Aragon, Bulgaria, Russia and Portugal.
"We feel a bit afraid to be proud - we shouldn't be"
People celebrating St George's Day in Nottingham shared their views about celebrating the patron saint.
England faces a 'never-ending fight for our flag and values', Starmer warns
Elsewhere, students across the region dressed up to mark the day. Little Trinity Nursery in Kidderminster painted shields and swords adorned with the English flag.
Nursery Manager Gaynor Carter said:
'The children were incredibly imaginative, and it was wonderful to see them engage with the story of St George.
'Celebrating this day allowed us to participate in a national tradition and instil a sense of pride and history in the little ones.'
Meanwhile visitors at Oak House Museum in West Bromwich dressed up for the occasion.
And later tonight (23rd April), the exterior façade of the Library of Birmingham will be lit up red and white to mark St. George's Day.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Islam increases its share of the global population as the world's fastest-growing religion and Christianity slips, study shows
Islam is growing faster than any other religion in the world, according to a new study. Muslims now make up 25.6 per cent of the global population, while Christians make up 28.8 per cent, the report - which was released by the Pew Research Center on Monday - says. But the growth of Christianity has not kept up with the global population increase, with the religion's worldwide share slipping by 1.8 per cent. This fall-off is largely driven by disaffiliation, as well as aging populations and lower fertility rates. The Muslim population's share, on the other hand, increased by 1.8 per cent. Researchers said reasons for this growth was likely due to Islam's younger population and higher birthrates in some areas. Commenting on the trend, lead author of the Pew report, Conrad Hackett, said: 'It's just striking that there was such dramatic change in a 10-year period. 'During this time, the Muslim and Christian populations grew closer in size. Muslims grew faster than any other religion.' In addition, the study found that the largest share of Christians, which is about 31 per cent, can be found in sub-Saharan Africa, as opposed to Europe which has historically been home to the largest number of Christians in the world. At the same time, large numbers of former Christians are now falling into the unaffiliated category, which includes atheists, agnostics and people who simply don't identify with any religion. This is now the third largest religious category globally at 24.2 per cent, which shows a rise from 16 per cent a decade ago. 'Among young adults, for every person around the world who becomes Christian, there are three people who are raised Christian who leave', Hackett said. The study also found the number of Buddhists to have plunged, dropping to 4.1 per cent. Pew cites a low birth rate and rising disaffiliation in East Asia. Hinduism remained steady at 1.49 per cent, while Judaism, making up just 0.2 per cent of the global population, also fell behind the global growth rate. The study looked at more than 2.700 censuses and survey across 201 countries and territories, covering nearly the entire global population.
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Monty Don names one daily job to make sure roses 'carry more flowers'
Gardening expert Monty Don has shared a top tip for gardeners who want to keep their roses flowering for longer, and it's a job that needs to be done daily Roses are treasured by many green-fingered enthusiasts for the stunning spectacle they present when in full bloom. Gardening expert Monty Don has highlighted a key task that should be performed daily to help these cherished plants "carry more flowers". In his blog, where he offers monthly gardening tips, Monty declared that people simply cannot herald the month of June without mentioning roses. He shared with his followers that he's increasingly opting for English roses that offer repeat flowering, therefore prolonging their beauty beyond the peak of June. Monty then divulged his "secret" to cultivating roses that boast a longer blooming period, reports the Express. His advice was clear: "The secret of keeping any rose flowering as long as possible is to deadhead daily." Deadheading involves removing wilted blooms to promote further flowering and enhance both the look and structure of the rose. For roses, arguably the most emblematic and enchanting of garden flora, consistent deadheading is crucial to maintain their opulent display throughout the season. This practice not only keeps the roses looking pristine but also helps stave off diseases and pests that tend to target decaying petals and hips. Monty stressed that gardeners should avoid merely plucking off dead petals; instead, they should use secateurs to cut the spent stem back to the next leaf or bud below, no matter how far down it might be. Monty highlighted the benefit of deadheading, stating it would "provoke a side-shoot which in turn will carry more flowers". He advised gardeners to regularly deadhead repeat-flowering shrub roses and those once-flowerers that don't bear hips. Furthermore, Monty emphasised the importance of continuing this practice well into July. He explained: "It is very important to keep deadheading roses in July as the petals fade to encourage repeat flowering, but some roses will have now finished all that they are going to do this year."
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Minding our language on the use of Americanisms
The continual expansion of the English language is inevitable and welcome. But while Elisabeth Ribbans is right that 'it would be a mistake to regard language as a fortress', it is not unreasonable to lament the effect of some invasive species whose proliferation is so rapid that native alternatives face possible extinction (How the use of a word in the Guardian has gotten some readers upset, 4 June). 'Gotten' may be an innocuous, if inelegant, English word making a return journey from the US, but some other US variants are more problematic. For example, the phrase 'Can I get …?' is suffocating more polite ways of making a request, such as 'May I/can I have …?' or simply 'I'd like …'. It is also annoyingly inaccurate, since in most cases the person asking has no intention of helping themselves and wouldn't be allowed to, even if they wanted to. But wholesale adoption not only leads to neglect of alternatives, it can also produce banality. So when both a sandwich and a sunset might today be described as 'awesome', it is reasonable to imagine that even as eclectic a wordsmith as Shakespeare might consider modern English borrowings as diminishing the language through having gotten McGilchristCromer, Norfolk Thank you, Elisabeth Ribbans, for your article on the cosmopolitan and evolving use of words in the English language. I am always stung by the snobbery I encounter among my British peers regarding American words or spellings. Criticism of American accents more so. My country of origin provokes pride and shame in increasingly equal measure, but to be cowed because of my voice, both written and spoken, leaves a foul taste. Once we've gotten past this distasteful persnicketiness, we can actually appreciate the meaning of the words being used, not just their Amy FultonOxton, Scottish Borders I grew up in the old West Riding, only a few miles from the county border with Lancashire. In the early 1950s, we regularly used the word 'gotten'. It was frowned on by teachers and others addicted to standard English. I believe the use of the word was common in other districts of Yorkshire. It is an English and not an American word, which has sadly passed out of use. Language evolves!Roderick WilsonAmpleforth, North Yorkshire When I worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, US, in the 1980s, my friendly editor had more appreciation of British irony than spelling. She once wrote on a draft paper: 'Richard. Please pick one spelling of 'practice' and stick to it.'Richard LammingShaldon, Devon Am I alone in finding 'shined' for 'shone' less than illuminating? Incidentally, like, who introduced 'like' like?Bill WintripDorchester, Dorset So not an ill-gotten 'gotten' then. Now where do we stand on 'snuck'?Tony RimmerLytham St Anne's, Lancashire Never mind 'faucet' and 'gotten' (Letters, 29 May), I've been racking my brain: in what play did Shakespeare use 'worser'? (Colon used free gratis.)Iain FentonLancaster Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
