Residents invited to celebrate first Nottinghamshire Day held

A special day of celebration to mark the historic first ever Nottinghamshire Day is taking place today (Wednesday).

Nottinghamshire Day celebrates the county’s unique identity, rich heritage and traditions, and it is now set to take place annually on August 25.

To mark the occasion, the Nottinghamshire flag will be flown in districts across the county, including in Newark and at County Hall in Nottingham.

David Lloyd, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: "Most counties have a county day, so it's good that we now have one as well.

"This year is flag raising but in future years, hopefully we can do some charity events or something to try and build up some knowledge and enthusiasm.

"It's celebrating an attachment to locality."

County council chairman Mike Quigley will lead the commemorations at County Hall by raising the county’s distinctive green, red and white Robin Hood flag at 11.30am.

He will be joined at the showpiece event by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Sir John Peace.

Other guests will include the Sheriff of Nottingham Merlita Bryan, Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, and Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, as well as several of the county’s MPs and representatives from the district and borough councils.

Mr Quigley said: “The inaugural Nottinghamshire Day provides us with a fantastic opportunity to celebrate everything that is great about our historic county, from our unique association with Robin Hood to our industrial heritage, from our sporting excellence to our wonderful tourist attractions which are known worldwide.

“I am therefore extremely proud to mark the day by raising the flag of Nottinghamshire at County Hall and I would encourage local people to get out and about to explore and celebrate what our fantastic county has to offer, not only on our special day itself but for the weeks, months and years to follow.

“We are rightly proud of our heritage and Nottinghamshire Day is another milestone in our county’s rich history.”

County council leader Ben Bradley said he was delighted Nottinghamshire now had an adopted day to celebrate all that is good about our county.

He said: “Many other counties have a celebratory day where they raise and promote their assets and we have plenty of those to promote.

“It is only right that we should be proud of our unique history and this is a date which can now be put in our diaries to celebrate in future years on a much broader and grander scale.”

Nottinghamshire Day also marks the day in 1642 when King Charles I raised his Standard on what is now Standard Hill in Nottingham at the start of the English Civil War ­— just three days after a similar attempt failed to secure enough support.

Sir John Peace, Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, said: “Nottinghamshire Day not only presents a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our county and all it has to offer, but also acts as a catalyst to develop our understanding of the history and traditions of the places where we live, work and enjoy our leisure time.

“It is also an opportunity to promote Nottinghamshire and its historic attractions, including Nottingham and Newark castles, Southwell Minster, Rufford Abbey, Sherwood Forest and Clumber Park, to name but a few.

“As Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, I attend many civic, voluntary and social events in recognition of the fantastic people who are proud to call Nottinghamshire their home.

“I am proud of the achievements of our county and am honoured to be part of the celebrations to mark the inaugural Nottinghamshire Day.”

Newark MP Robert Jenrick said that he was looking forward to taking part in the inaugural Nottinghamshire Day commemorations.

He said: “I am a big supporter of historic county days and see them as a great opportunity to celebrate the traditions that bind our communities together and instil pride in the places we live.

“The government attaches great importance to the history and traditions of this country.

“Our history helps to define who we are and where we come from, and we are stronger as a nation when we cherish and champion our local traditions.

“Pride in local history and traditions provides a strong foundation to make our rich past contribute to a bright future.

“I encourage everybody to take the opportunity to celebrate our wonderful county and look forward to learning more of the stories that make this such a wonderful place.”

Sir Andrew Pulford, Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, also attended the flag-raising ceremony in Newark.

He said: "It's gone very well, it's good to see the flag flying and how lovely it is to have a county day.

"We are hoping to get the flag up, which is the first thing, and provide some publicity for the fact that we're now going to celebrate Nottinghamshire day on an annual basis.

"It's something for the people to rally around. Communities will be encouraged over the years to perhaps think a bit more about themselves, the county and what it means to them.

"I think events like this are extremely important. Let's think about what we are as a community and what does it mean to be from Nottinghamshire."

The government will fly the Nottinghamshire flag outside the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and at Parliament today.

Residents can also watch the raising of the flag at County Hall this morning live on Nottinghamshire County Council’s Facebook page.

For more information about Nottinghamshire Day, go to www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/get-involved/nottinghamshire-day