Hereford Voice Application to Display British Flags at Hereford Cathedral Declined

[Hereford Voice]

Earlier this month, 3 St George’s flags appeared overnight on the railings outside Hereford Cathedral, see original article here - https://hfd.news/flags

They were quickly removed the following morning by the Cathedral’s Head of Estates, Alan Reid, who explained to us that while the Cathedral proudly flies the St George’s Cross from its tower, there is a proper procedure for attaching anything to Cathedral property to prevent damage and ensure permissions are in place.

In response and following Alan’s advice and with full respect to the Cathedral, Hereford Voice submitted a formal application to display 6 flags — 3 Union Flags and 3 St George’s Cross flags — along the Cathedral railing on Broad Street. Our aim was to create a respectful and temporary display to coincide with a significant community event.

We first contacted the SSAFA Herefordshire and proposed aligning the flags with the 140th anniversary celebrations of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. As part of our proposal, we also offered to provide free advertising support across our network to help promote the SSAFA 140th anniversary concert in October, as well as pledging a donation to both SSAFA Herefordshire and Hereford Cathedral in recognition of their work. Sadly, SSAFA Herefordshire declined permission to connect the display with their concert in October, citing reputational considerations...

Following that outcome, we approached Hereford Cathedral to suggest that the flags might instead coincide with the upcoming Magna Carta weekend event., but this was also declined.

Marc Leppard, Chief Operating Officer at Hereford Cathedral, told us:

“It is very important to us that the flags which represent our country and nation should always be flown with the due respect they deserve. At the moment, we have no immediate plans to permit any additional displays of the St George’s Cross, Union Flag or any other flags, in any locations within the Cathedral Close aside from the cathedral tower.”

Hereford Voice - Although this decision is disappointing, we fully respect the positions of both SSAFA Herefordshire and Hereford Cathedral. However, we will still honour our donation pledges and continue to advertise up and coming events, as it is important to us to continue supporting these valued organisations.

Hereford Voice remains committed to supporting Herefordshire’s community, heritage, local events, charities and traditions. We will continue to seek out new ways to celebrate our history and national identity in positive and respectful ways.

[M. Preece]

I am shocked and saddened that both organisations refused permission to fly our national flag, a worrying day for sure.