Make George best

Apart from honouring Ireland's patron saint, St Patrick's Day is a huge success for the licensed trade. So why can't St George's Day do the same for England? Adam Withrington looks at efforts to do just that.

There's a scene in the TV comedy Fawlty Towers when the old major strides into the hotel bar in his best suit and asks Basil Fawlty for a drink. Basil then says: "You're looking very spruce today major..." "St George's Day old boy," the major replies pompously. Basil then proceeds to have rather disinterested conversation about dragons.

The point is that the only person around who knew, or cared that it was the English saint's day, was the mad old major. It sums up English people's attitudes to our national saint's day; your average Joe isn't really bothered about it. Plus it is not exactly seen as a day to go down the pub and drink a pint of the nation's favourite tipple - unlike St Patrick's Day.

Why is this? Why are so many English people happy to join in the St Patrick's Day celebrations - to adopt cod Irish accents and Guinness as their favourite drink for the day - and yet offer none of the same enthusiasm for St George's Day on April 23?

The Publican has again teamed up with Bedfordshire brewer Charles Wells to promote St George's Day, to campaign for the day to be recognised as an official national holiday and to help licensees apply for licence extensions over the St George's Day weekend.

Last year, a Charles Wells survey showed that 79 per cent of English people would celebrate St George's Day if it was an officially recognised holiday. Pubs are missing out on a golden opportunity to cash in. Charles Wells' research shows licensees could lose out on £14.1m by ignoring the St George's Day weekend. In this era of growing red tape, taxes and fierce competitiveness, this is an opportunity that can't be missed.

If you want to contribute information, ideas or opinions, email us through the website: www.thepublican.com or write to: Value of St George, The Publican, 19 Scarbrook Road, Croydon, CR9 1LX.

What you can do for England​

• Start planning now, so you have plenty of time
• Make England and the English the theme of any special event or events. Try an English fancy dress competition; feature English music and food or run an English themed quiz
• If you have a big screen, make sure you show sports featuring top English sports stars and get your customers cheering
• Write to fellow licensees in the area and get together to organise activities, such as an inter-pub sports quiz, or English karaoke
• Provide good English fare to get customers in the patriotic mood
• Be imaginative and different: relive the England rugby team's great World Cup win... have a Jonny Wilkinson hour!
• Ask people what they would like to do to celebrate that weekend
• Let customers know you support St George's Day
• Make sure you advertise events - internally with posters, externally on A-boards or banners. Let your local press know the plan.

What the trade is doing​

St George's Day falls on a weekend and the trade stands to make £38m. More than 82,000 people have signed the Bombardier English Premium Bitter petition calling for a national bank holiday on St George's Day. So what is the trade doing?

• Punch Pub Company will again be throwing its weight behind the campaign. Its 4,500 pubs are being invited to buy a St George's Day kit when they order a minimum of a firkin of Bombardier. And it will be raising awareness of the campaign and the trading and additional profit opportunity through its monthly newsletter
• Unique Pub Company is planning its own activity around the day, which was being finalised as this article was posted
• Charles Wells is producing 3,000 special St George's Day weekend promotional kits for pubs, and is planning a massive national poster campaign to raise public awareness. The brewer's double-decker Bombardier branded bus will also be taking to the road.

Show support​

• Add your name to the petition to make the day a bank holiday - England has the fewest bank holidays in Europe
• To do this, go to websites www.bombardier.co.uk or www.thevalueofstgeorge.com. There are a number of useful forms that can be downloaded, such as letters to the editor of your local paper and local radio station controller asking for their support, and a petition for customers to sign which can be sent to your local MP and your local magistrates
• Write to your local MP directly, expressing your support for making St George's Day a special day of celebration
• Apply to your local licensing authority for an hour's extension on April 23 and 24
• Write to The Publican with your views (and any news on events you are planning in support of St George's Day). Write to: Adam Withrington, The Publican, 19 Scarbrook Road, Croydon, CR9 1LX. Or email him at adamw@thepublican.com.