St George's Day in England should be a bank holiday

St George is England's patron saint, just like St Patrick belongs to Ireland. But unlike St Patrick, St George's Day is not widely celebrated in England which is why we are campaigning for a bank holiday on 23 April - England's national day.

A bank holiday will give people a chance to celebrate their rich culture and heritage, and also recognise what binds them together.

It's traditional for people to wear a red rose on St George's Day and some people attempt the 3 C's - Charity, Courage and Chivalry. St George was noted for these three characteristics. So you could give blood in the morning (Charity), hold a big spider in the afternoon (Courage) and give your loved-one a red rose in the evening (Chivalry).

There are two St Georges - the real St George who was born in the Middle East, and the fictional St George who was born in Coventry, England.

The real St George was a Roman soldier who was executed by the Emperor Diocletian for his Christian beliefs. There is much debate about where he was born, but we are pretty sure he died in Nicomedia.

The fictional St George was the son of the Earl of Coventry who was kidnapped by a Witch but escaped. He set sail for Egypt and saved a Princess from a fire-breathing dragon.