Voting in the Sutherland flag competition has started strongly with several hundred votes already registered.
Within just 24 hours the total already approached that achieved in some other competitions.
A very impressive feat given that voting is restricted to residents of the county!
This positive start clearly shows the strength of community engagement with the competition and the vote.
The four finalists feature a wide range of symbols that together represent many aspects of Sutherland.
Among them are ancient heraldry, military heritage, Viking origins, traditional and re-introduced wildlife, gold and purple scenery, flow country, dark skies and coastal topography.
All four designs meet heraldic criteria, as well as the guidelines on good flag design provided to all entrants.
Voting procedure
The entries were divided into four groups by theme: eagle, stars, wildcat and Nordic Cross.
The best entry in each group then went through to the final shortlist.
As a result, the Sutherland competition now mirrors the best practice process used elsewhere in Scotland.
Shortlisting and voting took and will take place anonymously, while the eagle flag is the only finalist that merges more than one submission.
Three of the finalists are local designers, and two of the finalists are schoolchildren.
You can vote online at https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/newhome/sutherland/.
Or send a letter or postcard with your choice, name and postcode to Sutherland Flag, c/o Highland Council, Drummuie, Golspie, Sutherland KW10 6TA.
Voting will remain open until Monday 26 November 2018.
Flag Institute Communities Vexillologist Philip Tibbetts is delighted with the vote so far.
‘It looks like the vote … is shaping up to be a close race between all the finalists. I am glad that logistical issues have been overcome for holding a vote owing to the re-evaluation and careful planning of the Flag Committee. I look forward to the final decision and whichever design wins will provide the county with a visually strong and symbolically rich flag, in the best traditions of Scottish community flags, that can fly proudly alongside the saltire itself.’
They are all awful in my opinion and in the opinion of many others. So nobody liked the first one chosen so we get 3 equally bad flags to choose from? That seems so very unfair. People do not have the chance to vote for “None of the above” – in this case it should very definitely been an option.
Agree with you 100%. Bad taste taints the second offering too! All submissions should have been put to the vote, with perhaps another vote on a shortlist from there. Telling the people of Sutherland they can pick one from a tiny fraction of designs submitted is hardly democratic or fair! Neither is being excluded from voting because I moved south five years ago ( but will return home), despite living there for 48 years!!
I have just voted, reluctantly.
What a very limited choice!
There was no opportunity to say that I would have preferred a choice of a more subtle design using the colours to be seen in the landscape of Sutherland.
The options have been met with wide spread disapproval, the issue has become too controversial to be continued. End it before the permit becomes a focal point of county focused hatred. (which it will do).