St. George's Day is Monday 23rd April and our very own Shrewsbury is about as English a place as they come.

Unfortunately, St. George's Day is neither a bank holiday or a public holiday, or, it seems for some people, a reason to celebrate. And we all know how patriotic our UK neighbours are - the Scots go mad for Burns Night, the Welsh love their St. David and as for St. Patrick's Day...!

But this year there is much more of a sense of patriotism brewing in England. And there are two major reasons of course - the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. Surely, boths are reasons to celebrate with a drink or two or get away from it all and have a few days off.

Now, again, these are dividing forces. I, for one, have been rather non-plussed about the Olympics, and feel there is already a spot of overkill. When I turn on the TV and every ad break has Jessica Ennis selling moisturiser or Usain Bolt with a ginger beard acting like Mr Branson I am firmly reminded that every man and his dog is going to jump on the back of the Olympics. In fact, there are some rather lovely Olympics themed offers on our offers page.

But, as the wonderful comedian Eddie Izzard said, this fantastic event will only ever happen once in our lifetime and it is another reason to get together and feel patriotic this summer. 

The Jubilee, however, I feel completely different about. I am totally into the royals from a historical point of view; my boyfriend and I recently visited the Tower of London and I found myself close to tears where Elizabeth I was kept not just once but twice, and the history attached to the Crown Jewels really got to me. Oh, OK, we also get an extra holiday, so thanks, Liz.

Maybe this St. George's Day we should especially shout about our heritage. Not much is known about the man behind the day, so here are a few things you might not have known:

• He was born in Turkey (in Cappadocia)
• He lived in the 3rd century
• His parents were Christian
• He became a Roman soldier
• He protested against Rome's persecution of Christians
• He was imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith
• He was beheaded at Lydda in Palestine

St. George is the patron saint of England. His emblem, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St. George's emblem was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century. The king's soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle. 

One of the best-known stories about St. George is his fight with a dragon. But it is nigh on impossible he fought a dragon and just as unlikely that he even visited England. Despite this, St. George is known throughout the world as the dragon-slaying patron saint of England.