Brian Blessed rapping? It must be Yorkshire Day!

A happy Yorkshire Day to one and all!

I am often asked by people not fortunate enough to have been born and bred in God's own county why Yorkshire Day is such a big deal? Despite Yorkshire Day being only a relatively recent creation, I've always found this to be a somewhat perplexing question.

Yorkshire has always been a state of mind as much as a physical entity. Loyalty to it is as strong as it has ever been, if not more so. Most people wouldn't dream of questioning a Scot on their pride in and loyalty to Scotland, or ask them to justify their identity. So why ask a Yorkshireman?

Yorkshire Day was first proposed and celebrated by the Yorkshire Ridings Society in 1974 in York. The aim of the society, founded the same year, is to preserve the identity of the 'real' Yorkshire following the reorganisation of county boundaries which saw the three Ridings carved up into new administrative areas.

Since then, the celebrations have gone from strength to strength. Whereas it was once unusual to see the white rose flying above town halls and sports centres this is now commonplace, largely thanks to the efforts of the Yorkshire Ridings Society. Indeed, acknowledgement of traditional county boundaries recently received the support of Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (see here).

To celebrateYorkshire Day this year, Welcome to Yorkshire have commissioned a new twist on the county's unofficial anthem "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'At" featuring the likes of Jonjo Kerr and the Yorkshire Regiment, Alistair Griffin, Lesley Garratt, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and - yes, it's true - Brian Blessed rapping!



The song can be downloaded from iTunes here for the meagre sum (even to a Yorkshireman) of 0.79p with all proceeds going to fantastic Heroes Children Fund charity and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Please, dig deep, support two worthy charities and let's try get the anthem of God's own county to number one in the charts!

Government recognises the true Yorkshire boundary

To celebrate Saint George's day, the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (and a proud Yorkshireman to boot, hailing from Keighley - the town of my father's birth), announced the Government will formally acknowledge traditional county boundaries. (This piece in the Dalesman summarises matters beautifully).


A map of traditional county boundaries © Copyright the
Association of British Counties



As a consequence of the Local Government Act 1972, many parts of Yorkshire were carved off and swallowed up by newly created entities (into the so-called 'county' of Cleveland, for example). Yarm-on-Tees was one of the victims of this ill-considered piece of legislation. A brief summary of the administrative changes affecting Yarm can be found here.

Of course, this announcement will not materially change anything. The cross-county atrocity of Stockton Borough Council, created in 1996, will continue to exist in its current form. For now...

The announcement is, however, a powerful acknowledgement of the role of traditional counties throughout the history of our nation. Indeed, many of our traditional counties (including Yorkshire) predate the very Kingdom itself. It is also a welcome recognition of the key role of traditional counties in the shaping of individuals', and our nation's, identity.

Furthermore, there was one comment in the Government's announcement in particular which made the heart sing:

"He [Eric Pickles MP] will encourage local residents to continue to champion such local identities, irrespective of current tiers of local administration."

Many in Yarm (including the town's self-styled "mayor", Jason Hadlow), having seen the growing groundswell of residents keen to see Yarm once again under the control of an administration rooted firmly and entirely with North Yorkshire, are keen to jump on the bandwagon. It is telling that many of those now espousing recognition of the town's Yorkshire roots have hitherto done nothing whatsoever to mark or achieve this.

So, as a quick and easy first step, I have an idea...

The current signs 'welcoming' people to Yarm (below) completely fail to reflect the town's historic roots. Whilst mentioning the town's recent links to the towns in France and Germany with which it is twinned, it mentions nothing of our centuries old ties with the North Riding of Yorkshire. (That's not to mention the tired state of the signs, to put it politely.)


The 'welcome' sign for residents entering North Yorkshire
from County Durham over the River Tees from Eaglescliffe

At the next meeting of Yarm Town Council I will therefore be asking the council to consider replacing the current tired, old signs with something much more in keeping with our historic town and which highlights, loud and proud, that Yarm lies, as it has always lain, within the North Riding of Yorkshire.

Granted, it's a small first step, but might oaks from tiny acorns grow.