Only one in five will celebrate St George’s Day this year
23 Apr 2014 01:03 PM
Only around one in five English adults (19%)
plan to celebrate St George's Day this year, a survey by English Heritage
has revealed. The organisation is encouraging people to get out and about this
weekend to celebrate England's patron saint with events across the country,
at sites such as Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, with anyone named George invited
to claim free admission
St
George's Day takes place on 23 April, but the survey of nearly 2,000 adults
found that many had no plans to mark the day. In fact, 7% of those surveyed in
England thought that St George's Day was celebrated on the 1 May, while
only 6% could correctly identify the reason for his fame, being martyred for
refusing to persecute Christians.
Events are taking place at properties across the
country, including Wrest Park in
Bedfordshire, which hosts one of England's largest St George's Day
festivals, Dover Castle in Kent,
and Kenilworth
Castle in Warwickshire. The most well-known fact about our patron
saint was identified as the popular myth of him slaying the dragon (56%), and
visitors at many of the English Heritage events will still be able to enjoy
this spectacle, along with living history, spectacular displays and family
activities.
Lucy Hutchings, Head of Events at English Heritage,
said; "The fact that only one in five people are planning to mark St
George's Day this year contrasts with the patriotism shown by other
countries on their patron saints days. This is a great opportunity to celebrate
England and its rich history, and we'd like to invite people to come along
and show your support for our patron saint this year."
"There are events taking place across the country,
packed with family activities and stories of St George from Roman times and the
Middle Ages. 2014 also marks 300 years since the Georgians came to the throne,
and with the recent birth of Prince George, there's never been a better
time to celebrate this famous name!"
English Heritage St George's Day events take place
on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 April 2014. Anyone with the forename of George or
Georgina can attend for free with proof of identification. Further information
can be found at www.english-heritage.org.uk/stgeorgesday.