Scott Shepley, from Market Drayton, celebrates St George's Day

Telford easily beats the rest of Shropshire when it comes to celebrating England’s patron saint, with a host of events planned today and over the weekend, from a St George’s Day banquet to a family fun day.

And the leader of Telford & Wrekin Council said he was delighted to fly the flag. “I feel it is extremely important that councils mark St George’s Day in appropriate fashion,” said Councillor Andrew Eade.

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“We are proud to be organising major events to celebrate it.

“They foster a sense of civic pride and I’m delighted that Telford is at the forefront of marking the nation’s most patriotic day.”

His comments follow a national poll which revealed that seven out of 10 young people do not know the date of St George’s Day – April 23.

The survey, commissioned by This England magazine, also shows that one in eight of all ages finds it embarrassing to fly the St George’s Cross flag – largely because of its association

This England editor Stephen Garnett said he wanted to reclaim St George back from the extremists.

“St George stands for everything that makes this country great – freedom of expression, helping those less fortunate, tolerance of other people’s beliefs, kindness and standing up for what you believe to be right – and it’s a travesty that this is being forgotten,” he said.

Meanwhile, St George’s Day needs a “radical refresh”, including workers being given the day off and Stephen Fry being made patron saint of England, according to a new study.

A survey of 7,000 users of social website MySpace found that most believed the day should be more widely celebrated after complaining it had lost its relevance.

And churches across the country were being urged by a senior Anglican bishop to fly the flag for St George.

The Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, said: “George became important for England because of his courage in refusing to deny his faith and in his acceptance of martyrdom.

“He exemplifies chivalry in the sense of being ever-ready to defend the weak and to struggle for justice. It is for these reasons that he was declared protector of England.”

By Peter Johnson