CITY TO GET ITS OWN FLAG
YOU DECIDE THE ONE WHICH WILL BEST REPRESENT OUR GREAT CITY
AND YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHICH ONE IT’S GOING TO BE
COVENTRY is about to get its own flag. While the city has had much to celebrate recently – winning the City of Culture title for 2021, being named European City of Sport for 2019 and the opening of some big names at the Cathedral Lanes refurbishment – it lags behind in terms of having a flag to proudly fly. Locally, Birmingham, Leicester and the Black Country all have their own banners. Now it is time for Coventry to join them. Scores of entries from residents in the city and surrounding areas have now been whittled down to just six – and you get to pick the winner. The final designs all showcase a different aspect of the city, with some reflecting the city’s rich medieval past and others paying tribute to the landmarks that make it so special. Two out of the six flags feature an elephant. The huge creatures can be spotted throughout the city. We even have an ‘elephant’ building – the Sports and Leisure Centre in Fairfax Street. It’s all to do with the fact that Coventry boasts an elephant on its coat of arms. The animal is said to represent strength, and carries a castle on its back – the Coventry Castle, perhaps? – which seems to signify our city’s qualities excellently. In all, four of the flags making it through to the final take their inspiration from the city’s coat of arms. One of the flags pays tribute to Lady Godiva, the wife of the Earl of Mercia. A legend tells how she rode through the streets of Coventry naked in protest of her husband’s harsh tax system. Another flag is a simple design that showcases why Coventry is known as the City of the three spires. The finalists in the competition to find Coventry’s flag are: Alex Chetwynd of Nuneaton and Ian Silvera of Coundon, David Ridley of Radford, Elliott Hawkins of Aldermans Green, Luke Carvill of Stoke, Rob Yeo of Tile Hill and Simon Wyatt of Hatton. They were chosen by a panel of judges including Lord Mayor of Coventry John Blundell, Jacqui Ibbotson from the City of Culture Trust and head judge Phillip Tibbets from the UK Flag Institute. Phillip Tibbetts from the UK Flag Institute said he had a hard choice whittling down the entries to six finalists. He added: “The variety on display in these finalists is very impressive – ranging from mediaeval symbols to two-tone music. These finalists are a great testament to the high standard of entries received, choosing between them put me to the test.” The competition was launched by Vic Minnett and BBC Coventry and Warwickshire. He wanted to make sure the city had a flag to represent its people. Vic said: “I was overwhelmed by the quality of the designs we received for the competition. The broad range of themes shows Coventry is a city that has a great deal to shout about; whether it’s our past, present or future.” You can vote for your favourite flag by going to bbc.co.uk/bbccoventryandwarwickshire, where you will also find the full terms and privacy notice. Voting closes at midday on Wednesday, November 14 and the winner will be announced before the end of the month.
These finalists are a great testament to the high standard of entries received, choosing them put me to the test. Phillip Tibbetts