Flags in Shrewsbury: New fundraising campaign launched to put up and maintain more UK and England flags

• Sign up for our FREE weekly Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Shropshire and Mid Wales - all sent to your inbox every Friday. Sign up here

According to the organiser, 260 flags have been put up in Shrewsbury so far, of which 15 were donated and some bought with combined donations of £25.

Operation Raise The Colours first gained serious traction nationally in August of this year, with people hanging United Kingdom and England flags on lamp posts and painting St George’s crosses on mini-roundabouts.

Those supporting the movement say it is to promote patriotism, with some members of Labour, the Conservatives and Reform UK backing it, but it has also garnered support from those associated with the far-right, including Britain First and activist Tommy Robinson.

The organiser of the new 'Raise The Flags Shrewsbury Plus' fundraiser, who is not named on the GoFundMe page, said: “My aim is to stop the flags of our country in our town being destroyed, ripped, torn etc.”

They said that they realise people might not want their name associated with donating to the cause, so set up the page to give people the opportunity to give cash anonymously.

“Many may not want to contact me directly as words such as racism are being used,” they said. “It’s damn right wrong!

“This has nothing to do with race or religion for me. It’s the absolute sham that our Prime Minister is and his lying government.

“I will carry on regardless if this makes even a fiver off one person as I've funded it all myself bar two others with small donations.

“We’ve now managed to get them as high as possible and plan to do it in a more honourly [sic] fashion instead of mixed places to make it look tidy.

“As well as this, we will be looking after flags damaged by the weather and or replacing torn, ripped, criminally damaged ones by others.”

'We are aware some have been hung the wrong way'

The organiser also makes mention of wanting to help elderly people and children in hospital.

They add: “Don’t forget to leave us the street you live in if you want flags in your area. And yes, we are aware some have been hung the wrong way but when one of us is 25ft+ up in the air on ladders or over a bridge with cars doing 70mph it's easy to just want to pin it up and not think. 

“We will go round these along with ripped ones and restore and flip them.”

Some of the first flags in Shrewsbury went up in Mount Pleasant Road, Harlescott, back in August. One resident told the Shropshire Star people were “fed up” due to the cost of living crisis and crime, adding "some people think immigration is a big part of that”.

Since then, more flags have gone up around the town including on Oteley Road near Shrewsbury Town’s football stadium, Frankwell and Telford Way.

Shrewsbury Greens leader Julian Dean hit out at the campaign, calling it “intimidatory”.

He said: “It imposes a particular version of supposed patriotism on everyone else – a version more often seen in Northern Ireland where it undoubtedly symbolises dangerously divided communities. 

“Whatever the intentions of those putting up these flags, it is clear that many feel worried and intimidated by their presence – especially given the far-right origins of the 'Operation Raise the Colours' campaign.”

It was revealed last week that another man who set up a similar fundraiser died after falling off a ladder as he was putting up a flag.

Paul Lumber, aged 60, suffered multiple injuries when he fell on November 23 this year while putting up a Union flag near his home in Bristol.

He was taken to hospital but never woke from an induced coma.