A county branch of an English patriotic society is disbanding after struggling to attract enough new members to continue.
The Royal Society of Saint George in Leicestershire was left with only five active members when it made the decision to stop the group, claiming "St. George is all but dead and buried".
Its former president, Stephen Warden, attributed the lacking interest to “changing demographics and values” in the area and wider country.
He spent £1,500 of his own money advertising the group, yet only attracted one new member over a period of years.
Stephen Warden said, “I know in my heart, I did everything humanly possible to get new members in from the local environment, they just weren’t interested in joining.
“The pool of possible members has diminished.”
Former president, Stephen Warden, attributed the lacking interest to “changing demographics and values”
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St George is the English patron saint while also taken as the national saint in other countries. Legend states he was a knight who fought a dragon, but historians claim him to be a Roman soldier from modern day Turkey.
The branch found it particularly difficult to find new members to replace older ones who could no longer take part or when they died. The few members left voted to close the group in March.
Stephen says he approached a local educational institute who refused his fliers due to “fear of offending international students”.
Stephen, who remains a member of the society as a whole, also claims to having proposals for a St. George’s Day parade rejected by Leicester City Council.
There are 32 branches of The Royal Society of Saint George in the UK and another 29 across the globe.
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Proposals for a St. George’s Day parade were rejected by Leicester City Council
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A council spokesperson said: “Leicester’s annual celebrations of St George’s Day have been organised and funded by the city council for many decades, and they remain an important part of the city’s festival calendar.”
The Royal Society of Saint George was formed in 1894 and has more than 5,000 members worldwide, describing itself as the “premier English patriotic society”. There are 32 branches in the UK and another 29 across the globe.
It’s royal charter and mission statement defends the group as non-political and open to all faiths and backgrounds while “promoting and celebrating Englishness and the English way of life,” by supporting values of free speech, democracy, and tolerance.
Nick Dutt, Chairman of the Royal Society of Saint George, thinks fears about nationalism affects pride in England and celebrating St. George.
“Patriotism has been linked with nationalism which are two different things. If you say in Scotland, Ireland, or Wales that you’re a patriot nobody bats an eyelid, but in England people take a step back. That is a challenge and it’s about how we change that.”
He also says, “clearly there are groups that don’t feel aligned to England and who we are.”
Nick added that Covid, plus social media have changed how people interact making it harder to attract new members.
“If you lose groups like ourselves that try to remember and celebrate our history and what we stand for you lose your identity as a nation.”
St. George’s Day is celebrated on 23rd April every year. While it is England’s national day, it is not a bank holiday.