Last year, there was a good deal of interest in which flags the Town Council flew, so they have developed a new protocol which you can see here.
The Council says that:
The flying of flags can bring the community together, strengthen identities and remind us of
our shared history and sacrifices. It also has the potential to be divisive. As an organisation
representing the whole community, the Town Council has a duty to treat requests for flags to
be flown from its flagpoles with fairness and equity. At the same time, it must also abide by
the rules set down by central government for the flying of flags.
It seems there are flag-flying rules, which you can read in the link.
In 2023, the Town Council will, as a minimum, observe the following nationally designated
days for flying flags, so this is what you can generally expect to see (additions are in the link):
Coronation Weekend (including Bank Holiday Monday – 6, 7 and 8 May) –– The Union flag will
be flown from the Shalder Hill flagpole on these dates.
Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday
The Union Flag will be flown from the Shalder Hill flagpole on Armistice Day (11 November)
and remain in place until and including Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday in
November). No additional flag will be flown from the Shalder Hill flagpole for this period.
March
St Piran’s Day/Gool Sen Peran
The St Piran’s flag will be flown from Shalder Hill.
June
Pride
During Pride month, and on Bude Pride Weekend, the Town Council will fly appropriate flags
from its flagpoles.
D-Day anniversary
The Union flag will be flown to mark the anniversary of D-Day on 6 June. It will be the only
flag flown from the Shalder Hill flagpole that day.
Armed Forces Day
The Union flag will be flown from the Shalder Hill flagpole on Armed Forces Day and the
following Sunday. It will be the only flag flown from the Shalder Hill flagpole on those two
days.
An Gof Day
The St Piran flag will be flown from the Shalder Hill flagpole on An Gof Day (27 June).
August
The RNLI flag will be flown from the Elizabeth Mast (Summerleaze Downs) for Bude Lifeboat
Weekend – Summer Bank Holiday (26, 27, 28 August 2023).
Other days
On all other days, except those for which a particular flag has been requested and resolved
by the Town Council, the St Piran flag will be flown from the Shalder Hill flagpole. On all days
when the Parkhouse flagpole is not being used to meet a request for a flag to be flown, the
national flag of Ukraine will be flown until cessation of hostilities, or until the Town Council
resolves to no longer fly it.
Please can the council clearly define what ‘appropriate flag from their flag poles’ means? Does it mean that any other flag other than St Piran’s or Union flag can be flown as an ‘appropriate flag’ on their flag poles which includes the Memorial flagpole on Shalder Hill? Ultimately meaning that an alternative flag which is not the St Piran’s Flag or the Union Flag can be flown from the memorial flag pole, which is not actually appropriate.
In much of the rhetoric here, the council are quite precise about what flag is allowed to be flown, except during June, where it gets a bit woolly and open for interpretation.
Ultimately, the flag pole on memorial hill should only ever fly St Piran’s flag or the Union flag. No other. At any time. The Union Flag represents everyone, equally in the whole of the UK. The Cornish flag represents everyone, equally in Cornwall, where we live. Any other flag is devisive.
There are plenty of other flagpoles around the town and beaches for other ‘appropriate and requested and resolved flags’ can be flown.