Bury St Edmunds will be honouring the original patron saint of England St Edmund with four days of celebrations.

East Anglian Daily Times: James Sheen proudly sports the flag of St Edmund at the launch of the Your Town Needs You campaign in August. PICTURE: Andy AbbottJames Sheen proudly sports the flag of St Edmund at the launch of the Your Town Needs You campaign in August. PICTURE: Andy Abbott (Image: Archant)

November 20th is St Edmund’s day, which remembers the first patron saint of England - an honour originally held by St Edmund, king of East Anglia in the ninth century.

This year, St Edmund’s day falls on Monday, November 20 and there will be a series of activities over the weekend (November 17 to 19), to properly honour the original patron saint of England and toast the town that evolved around his shrine.

James Sheen, who founded ‘We Love Bury St Edmunds’ in December 2015, proposed the idea of St Edmunds day celebrations earlier in the year and quickly won the support of thousands. As a result, the three-day celebration, which James has dubbed the ‘Cult of St Edmund’, was formally launched back in August.

East Anglian Daily Times: Colin Taylor on Easter Island. PICTURE: Yvonne TaylorColin Taylor on Easter Island. PICTURE: Yvonne Taylor (Image: Archant)

“Our town has a saint, one who was the original patron saint of England, as well as a day dedicated to it,” says James. “And this is something we should celebrate.

“In previous years there have been one or two events planned, but that’s all I’ve ever heard of. The town is bigger than this and it’s the town’s duty to do more.”

There is a number of St Edmund themed events planned for the weekend. Moyse’s Hall will take part in the national takeover day which will have a St Edmund theme on Friday, Denny Bros will host The Crafty Foxes for a St Edmund themed children’s creative drop-in on Saturday, and on Sunday, the museum will host a talk by historian Francis Young titled ‘How Edmund Became England’s Patron Saint’. A parade will be held on the Sunday afternoon and there will be a treasure hunt trail to follow throughout the whole weekend.

James has also been encouraging businesses in the town to fly the flag of St Edmund from November 17 to 20 as part of the celebration. Flags can be bought both over the counter at Court News on Glastonbury Road, Bury St Edmunds, or online via the We Love Bury St Edmunds website.

East Anglian Daily Times: Brian Gobey flies the flag in Athens. PICTURE: We Love Bury St EdmundsBrian Gobey flies the flag in Athens. PICTURE: We Love Bury St Edmunds (Image: Archant)

“There is a real buzz around the town at the moment, with many shops and businesses getting involved,” adds James.

“There are people who want to have St Edmund reinstated as the patron saint, however we need to get more people on board first.

“The idea behind the flags and bunting was to pull the town and its people together, but with many towns and cities around the world having a connection with Bury St Edmunds, the flag has travelled even further. The We Love Bury St Edmunds Facebook group, which has gained over 17,000 members in two years, has received photos of the flag from across the globe. The furtherst I’ve seen the flag is on Easter Island, but there’s also been pictures of it in places such as Spain and Australia.”

For more information on We Love Bury St Edmunds and the St Edmunds day celebrations, visit the We Love Bury St Edmunds website or WLBSE Facebook page.