Flag of Wiltshire
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The Wiltshire flag is a modern proposal for a county flag for Wiltshire. It is partly based on the flag of the Wiltshire County Council, including the alternating stripes of green and white that are said to represent the grassy downs of the county and their chalk underlay. Publicity for the flag also mentions that the colours can represent hope, joy and safety (green) and peace (white).
An image of the Great Bustard stands at the centre of the flag. This bird had been extinct in England since 1832, but is now part of an intensive ten-year breeding programme on Salisbury Plain. Salisbury Plain, at the heart of the county, is one of only two areas in Great Britain in which the Great Bustard originally lived. On the flag, the male Great Bustard is depicted in gold on a solid green circle to represent the open grassland. The border of the circle, in six sections alternating green and white, is said to represent the stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury in the county. The six portions are also said to represent the six surrounding counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset.
The technical specification of the flag is that it is a 3:5 ratio, and is manufactured in green and gold onto a white material.
The flag has no official status, and the designer admitted that there "is no method or authority to get it accepted as the county flag of Wiltshire, that is all done by public acceptance."[1] Nevertheless, the flag has received the support of Wiltshire County Council, and has been flown at Wiltshire County Hall in Trowbridge since June 2007.[2] [3]
The printed flag is marketed by Mr Mike Prior under the trading name wiltshireflag.co.uk. Mr Prior's daughter, Helen Pocock, [4] a graphic designer, came up with a design for the flag using the Great Bustard as the centrepiece.
There is some local resistance [5] within the county to the affording of any sort of official status to this flag
[edit] References
- ^ Lord Bath helps hoist county flag (Wiltshire Times)
- ^ County flag flies at County Hall (Wiltshire County Council Press Release)
- ^ The Wiltshire flag unfurls! (BBC Wiltshire)
- ^ Wiltshire County Council - County flag flies at County Hall
- ^ Wiltshire Flag - It's a Turkey!
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