THOUSANDS CELEBRATE ST DAVID’S DAY ACROSS WALES:
THOUSANDS of people proudly celebrated their Welsh heritage at St David’s Day events across Wales yesterday.
Crowds gathered at Cardiff’s City Hall for an annual parade, with hundreds donning traditional Welsh attire or just donning themselves in red to mark the occasion.
Parade director David Petersen said: “It’s a great way to celebrate being Welsh.
“The parade has been going for 18 years and it’s not only the Welsh who enjoy it – visitors and tourists love it too,” he said.
Cardiff-based brass band Wonderbrass also took part in the colourful march through the city centre.
“We’ve been involved in the parade for a few years and it’s such a brilliant day,” said band member Jenny Allan.
“It’s a real privilege to be a part of the event. It’s such a special day that people can enjoy and it’s great that so many people still come and support it.”
People from around the world turned out to watch the parade, including 27-year-old Allison Dredge, from Texas.
Having studied Welsh in Cardiff for six months as part of her degree, Ms Dredge still enjoys coming back to visit the capital
“Even though I studied here, I had never been here for St David’s Day and I always wanted to come back,” she said.
“It’s a wonderful country and I like to come back and visit every few years. I’ve had a really great day.”
The Senedd was also lit up in the colours of the Welsh flag as part of the Assembly’s St David’s Day celebrations, which were accompanied by a soundtrack from young musicians and schoolchildren.
Elsewhere, the Welsh flag flew above Downing Street where Prime Minister Theresa May hosted a reception, welcoming guests from business, media, tourism, sport and charities with some companies showcasing produce from Wales.
The Prime Minister said: “Around Easter I hope to be back in Wales walking up some
of those hills once again.”
Elsewhere around 800 schoolchildren took part in a now traditional parade in Colwyn Bay for the 16th year.
Pembrokeshire pupils and care home residents also created dragons which they displayed in a parade through St Davids.
Bishop Joanna Penberthy, Wales’ first female bishop, delivered her first annual St David’s Day message.
A steam locomotive made a special St David’s Day excursion to Cardiff from London.
Meanwhile BBC Pointless presenter Richard Osman also paid tribute to Wales on social media, tweeting out a section on Wales from his book “The Pointless History of the World” to mark St David’s Day.
In the short piece, he describes Welsh people as being “ballsy beyond belief”, “awesome” and some of the “straight-up nicest people you could meet”.
The extract read: “Wales is awesome, I think that is universally agreed.
“Quite apart from anything the Welsh are charming, funny and self-depreciating, and yet still manage to have a dragon on their flag.
“That is ballsy beyond belief. Finnish people are equally lovely, but they wouldn’t dream of having a dragon on their flag.”