St. George's Day celebration planned for Darwen (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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St. George's Day celebration planned for Darwen
6:30pm Monday 15th February 2010 in News
CELEBRATION: John Sturgess
A WEEKEND-long celebration of St George’s Day will take place in Darwen this year.
Darwen and Rural Neighbourhood Board has pledged £5,000 to support the event, which aims to draw people into the town and provide activities for the whole community on April 23 and 24.
It is hoped that most of the activities can be arranged around Darwen Market and the Market Square.
Among ideas touted by organisers Paul Rigby and board member Elliott Gazdula, is that the market annexe can be converted into a dragon’s den with an animated dragon triggered by infra red senor with lighting effects and fog.
Organisers are also looking into putting on a sporting event such as a race to the tower and back, and having a parade of old British cars and motorcycles around the town.
Local bars will be approached about the possibility of putting on a music event over the weekend, and there could also be a live ‘battle’ between St George and a dragon as well as brass band performances, a best decorated shop competition, food stalls, morris dancing, folk tales, and a marquee featuring typically English things.
John Sturgess, chair of Darwen and Rural Neighbourhood Board, said: “The day celebrates all that makes the English what we are; tolerant, friendly, multicultural, generous and a word that is rarely used now – chivalrous.
“It is important for Darwen as we are a fairly typical English town with people from many varied backgrounds, countries and so on, and we want to ensure that this is celebrated properly.
“There are members of the Royal Society of St George heavily involved with our event along with members of Darwen and rural Neighbourhood Board. The Society is non political and is for all people who share a love of England and Englishness.”
Eileen Guy, market trader, board member, and chair of Darwen Shop and Business Association, said: “I think it’s an excellent idea to bring people into the town, and quite unique really.
“Anything that enhances the shopping experience and gives the community something positive to do has to be welcomed.
“It’s in the very early stages at the moment, and we are in talks with a lot of businesses to see how they want to get involved.”
Comments(13)
whereistedward
says...
1:51am Tue 16 Feb 10
rickyl wrote:There have been St George's Day Celebrations in Blackburn for quite a few years now.
Excellent idea!! Will we see similar celebrations in Blackburn ??.. I won't hold my breath !!!
blackburn south
says...
9:11am Tue 16 Feb 10
maj3091
says...
9:14am Tue 16 Feb 10
whereistedward wrote:Which broom cupboard where they held in then??
rickyl wrote:There have been St George's Day Celebrations in Blackburn for quite a few years now.
Excellent idea!! Will we see similar celebrations in Blackburn ??.. I won't hold my breath !!!
Would love nothing more than to see the George Cross flying around the town, but as rickyl said, I won't hold my breath!
For some reason it's deemed as a right-wing thing to do, flying the George Cross, strange, when I though it was a symbol of the country I live in.....
maj3091
says...
9:15am Tue 16 Feb 10
past it
says...
9:26am Tue 16 Feb 10
whereistedward
says...
2:16pm Tue 16 Feb 10
maj3091 wrote:Yes, it is good news. The events in Blackburn have not been held in a 'broom cupboard' at all - they have been quite prominent in the town centre and regularly reported in the newspapers for a number of years now. The English flag has been flown too. I don't know who has deemed this as 'right wing' but certainly no-one in Blackburn or Darwen. It's got nothing to do with politics, just a celebration of St George's Day, in the same way that St Patrick's Day etc is celebrated.
Should have said, Congratulations to Darwen, hope it all goes to plan.
hasslem hasslem
says...
2:43pm Tue 16 Feb 10
whereistedward wrote:Jedward is correct (hate agreeing with him).
maj3091 wrote: Should have said, Congratulations to Darwen, hope it all goes to plan.Yes, it is good news. The events in Blackburn have not been held in a 'broom cupboard' at all - they have been quite prominent in the town centre and regularly reported in the newspapers for a number of years now. The English flag has been flown too. I don't know who has deemed this as 'right wing' but certainly no-one in Blackburn or Darwen. It's got nothing to do with politics, just a celebration of St George's Day, in the same way that St Patrick's Day etc is celebrated.
.
I look foward to seeing the flag of St George flying proudly with those of his associated countries of Palestine, Turkey and Georgia (amongst others).
.
Gone are the days when the right wing merchants could lay claim to the cross of st.george (why would they support a turk in the 1st place?) the bnp tend to hide behind the Union Jack and its about time all right-minded (not in the political sense) people grabbed the union jack back off them too.
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dont know anybody that complains about flying the english flag any more. one of the good things about euro-96 is that English people regained their flag with pride.
ghost of sceptic
says...
3:14pm Tue 16 Feb 10
whereistedward
says...
4:17pm Tue 16 Feb 10
ghost of sceptic wrote:St George had nothing to do with the crusaders, - nor much to do with England actually, except he is our patron saint. He is also the patron saint of Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Russia, Aragon & Catalonia. He was a Roman priest in the guard of the Roman Emperor Diocletian and died in 303AD.
long live england and its english people. to st george and the crusaders.
ghost of sceptic
says...
6:24pm Tue 16 Feb 10
Eileen Dover
says...
11:34pm Wed 17 Feb 10
K_B
says...
6:20pm Fri 19 Feb 10
iefs/Religion/Race/S
ensibilities and feel excluded thus I wish to lodge a formal complaint!
Haha, No I'm only Joking... It's about time. Can we have our countries flag flying too? Oh please... Pretty please, We promise not to burst into Jerusalem whilst tying our Doc martins up and shaving our heads.
rickyl says...
7:39pm Mon 15 Feb 10
I won't hold my breath !!!