The new Embo flag – a community flag representing this tiny Sutherland village – recently entered the Flag Registry. Its origins date back to 16 July 1988, when the village declared UDI as the ‘Independent State of Embo’. The flag was a horizontal tricolour of red, gold and blue. Red represents Embo’s Viking heritage; gold, […]
Tag Archives | Community flags

New Cumbria flag unveiled
The new Cumbria flag – a community flag representing the county as a whole – has entered the UK Flag Registry. Ben Walker’s winning design features a bold horizontal zigzag pattern in green and yellow, representing the rugged local landscape. Above this, on a blue field, is a heraldic ancient crown, evoking Cumbria’s past as […]

New Girvan flag unveiled
A hoisting ceremony on Saturday 2 August unveiled the overwhelming winner of the recent Girvan flag competition. Winter Ingram of Sacred Heart Primary designed a flag with a black Ailsa Craig and green waves for the river Girvan and the sea, reflecting the town’s maritime heritage and civic identity. Around half of voters chose her […]

Design a flag for Cumbria
Design a community flag for Cumbria! Many English counties already have community flags, but Cumbria doesn’t – yet! An official county flag was created in 1974 for use by councils and public buildings. However, a community flag for Cumbria will belong to everyone. It will celebrate Cumbria’s heritage and culture, raise its profile nationally, express […]

Design a flag for Girvan
Design a flag for Girvan – that’s the challenge laid down by this South Ayrshire town. After spotting the Caithness flag during a chance visit, a member of Girvan’s lifeboat crew came up with the idea. And now over a dozen schools, councils and community groups – led by Girvan Arts Festival – have come together […]

Flag for Berwickshire
Design an official flag for Berwickshire! That’s the challenge to groups and individuals set by a new competition launched last month. The contest – run by Berwickshire Civic Society with support from the Fallago Environment Fund – offers a first prize of £250. The Court of Lord Lyon and the Flag Institute will also register […]

New flags for Moray and Banffshire
New flags for Moray and Banffshire are in prospect after a design competition that opened on 27 February 2023. Communities Vexillologist Phillip Tibbetts visited ten local schools during the competition launch. ‘The kids are very enthusiastic about this,’ said Philip, who is also March Herald and Honorary Vexillologist at the Lyon Court. ‘Around Scotland we […]

Vote for the Aberdeenshire flag
Vote for the Aberdeenshire flag! It’s time for the county to pick its new official symbol. Launched in September, the competition organised by The Press and Journal was a record-breaker. Around 820 entries arrived by email or by post, making it the UK’s largest-ever flag design contest. They came from schools across northeast Scotland, as […]

Design a flag for Aberdeenshire
Design a flag for Aberdeenshire! The Aberdeen Press and Journal has launched a competition to find a flag for the county. They are looking for a design that is simple but distinctive. One rich with a symbolism that makes it unmistakably Aberdeenshire. A flag that represents the whole of the county and its people. Flag […]

Philip Tibbetts joins Scotland’s Lyon Court
Congratulations to our Communities Vexillologist Philip Tibbetts on his appointment as an Officer of Arms in Scotland’s Lyon Court. On 1 September Philip became March Pursuivant Extraordinary, having served as Honorary Vexillologist to the court since 2018. His new title dates back to 1515 and pertains to the Marches, i.e the modern Dumfries and Galloway […]