Bolton Council has raised the St George’s flag above the town hall to celebrate St George’s Day.

The St George’s Cross has been used for many hundreds of years, but its exact origins in adoption as the flag of England are disputed.

However, the flag is commonly flown to celebrate the patron saint’s day annually on April 23.

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In a statement, Bolton Council said: “Happy St. George's Day!  The St. George’s Flag will be flying from the Town Hall today in celebration. 

“All of us here at Bolton Council hope you have a lovely time celebrating with friends and family.”

Data released by the Office for National Statistics earlier this month showed that just 48 per cent of borough residents said they were English in 2023 – far below figures in 2004, the earliest data available, when more than two-thirds considered themselves English.

According to English Heritage, St George was born in third-century Cappadocia, now modern-day Turkey, and is thought to have died in Lydda, modern-day Israel, in the Roman province of Palestine.

Despite not visiting England himself, he became popular with English kings, English Heritage says – with Edward I and Edward III showing an interest in the saint – though the St George cross wasn’t used to represent the country until Henry VIII’s reign.

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.