Image Source: Twitter/ Hallmark UK and Ireland
Yorkshire Day is a yearly celebration on 1 August to promote the historic county of Yorkshire, England. Yorkshire Ridings Society celebrated it in 1975, initially in Beverley, as a protest against local government reorganization. This is also the anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, for which a Yorkshire MP campaigned.
The theme of Yorkshire Day 2022
It is a yearly celebration on 1 August to promote the historic county of Yorkshire, England. Today, Yorkshire Day celebrations include anything Yorkshire-related, from regional foods and confections to its fascinating history. A Yorkshire Pudding is typically eaten in large quantities during celebrations, but it can also just serve as a reminder of all the great things about Yorkshire. Members of The Yorkshire Ridings Society may perform the recital of Yorkshire dialect or read the Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity.
Quick facts about Yorkshire
Here are quick facts about Yorkshire:
- A fifth of Yorkshire’s land is covered by National Parks (the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, and part of the Peak District).
- The Yorkshire region has 17% greenbelt land, compared to 13% for England.
- Yorkshire has over 2,600 ancient monuments of national importance (14% of the England total), 800 conservation areas and 116 registered parks and gardens (each 8% of the England total). (Heritage Counts 2008).
- Two UNESCO World Heritage sites are in Yorkshire, including Studley Royal in North Yorkshire, one of the first to be designated in the UK, and more recently Saltaire Village in West Yorkshire (World Heritage).
History of Yorkshire Day
Founded in 1975, Yorkshire Day is a relatively new event. It was quickly adopted and has grown in significance because of the region and its people.
The decision to mark Yorkshire Day with an annual civic gathering of Mayors, Lord Mayors, their attendants and other dignitaries ‘in full costume and regalia’ was taken at a meeting of Local Authorities within the boundary of the old county of Yorkshire i.e. the three ridings and York and The Yorkshire Society at County Hall, Wakefield, on 29 June 1985.
In response, the Yorkshire Society was charged with guardianship of the idea and organising the annual event, which has become the centrepiece of the celebrations throughout the region.
Yorkshire Day Civic Celebration now adds pomp and circumstance to a day of pride for a region that has its own flag, language, anthem (almost) and culture. It is undoubtedly the biggest gathering of ‘first citizens’ and civic leaders in the UK and probably one of the biggest in the world.