Today is Sussex Day. It's celebrated on June 16th as it's the saint day of St. Richard, patron saint of Sussex and a Bishop of Chichester.Sussex Day was dreamed up by West Sussex County Council in 2007 as an opportunity to "celebrate the rich heritage of the county of Sussex". We don't seem to do much here in Brighton & Hove, although the Leader of Brighton & City Hove Council has apparently pledged her support this year:
Cllr Mary Mears urged residents to celebrate living in 'the country's best county', by enjoying our surroundings and supporting local shops and services on the county day.
Sussex Day, a kind of localised version of St George’s Day, is held on St Richard's Day, the patron saint of Sussex, on June 16th. The day has been widely celebrated in West Sussex but Cllr Mears said that, as the largest city the county Brighton & Hove should also recognise the event.
Cllr Mears said: “Living in Brighton & Hove, right in the heart of the country's best county, means we can truly enjoy the benefits of coast and countryside.
“With the economic slowdown, there has never been a better time to support the county by getting out into the great outdoors and enjoying some local produce and generally celebrate the county."
For once, Cllr Mears and I are in agreement: I love my adopted county, and the beautiful countryside and yummy local food are just two of the things that make this such a great place to live.
I also love the fact that the Sussex motto is "We Won't Be Druv" (ie no-one can tell us what to do), and the fact that it was the last county in England to be converted to Christianity.
I'm going to celebrate with a bun from the fine Sussex institution that is Forfars the Bakers: if I had the funds I'd be raising a glass of local fizz (so good even the French are jealous).
Happy Sussex Day!
PS I love the way the Tories manage to bring everything back to the *current economic climate*, even bloody Sussex Day.
