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Free NHS poster to thank NHS workers on St George's Day, plus facepainting and other family ideas

By: Angela Cole

Published: 06:06, 23 April 2020

Updated: 06:36, 23 April 2020

Each Thursday, thousands of us show our appreciation for our key workers with the Clap for our Carers.

And tonight's has a special significance as it is also St George's Day.

Here's one we coloured in earlier

So to mark this week's event, which falls on the day for England's patron saint, we have a free specially-designed poster for you to download and colour in to show your support.

Featuring a message to our key workers, and backed by the flag of St George, you can download a high quality pdf of the poster and print it out to colour in by clicking here.

We've also put together some other ideas to mark the day while staying at home here:

mpu1

St George flag facepaint

You'll only need two colours of facepaint to prepare young ones for battle for the day, as demonstrated by four-year-old Lyla Gurney here for What's On. Mum Ria Alderman used Snazaroo paints. She said: "They are my favourite because the paint goes on nice and bold so you don't have to keep going over it. And my top tip is to always add glitter!"

Lyla Gurney, four, celebrates St George's Day

You can also find ideas for sword and shield making for young ones from English Heritage's How To videos, as well as information about where where dragons come from, how to spot them and facts about the real St George. Go to english-heritage.org.uk

Knights

The story of St George says he was a knight on horseback, so help your little ones dress as a knight. You'll need some armour, a sword and a shield - plus a flag to fly, of course.

You can find downloadable resources, including pictures to colour in and flags to put your design on, by visiting the primary teachers's site twinkl, now available free for use for home schooling. Register and get started at twinkl.co.uk/resources

English Heritage have tips on how to dress for St George's Day

Dragons

Legend has it, St George fought a dragon, so make your own dragon. Colour him in - what colour will he be? You can make dragon puppets, or Castles and Kings characters simply from folding a sheet of paper into a cone and drawing your character on.

Fly the flag for St George

Have a cuppa

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When all that's done, what's more English than a nice cup of tea with another cultural favourite, scones? They're surely on your essentials list.

Tea became popular in England during the 1660s thanks to King Charles II and his wife the Portuguese Infanta Catherine de Braganza, though the concept of afternoon tea did not emerge until the mid 19th century.

Different times

Normally on St George's Day, there'd be traditional parades and celebrations of Englishness, fetes, church services and morris dancing. With the country in lockdown, all of those public events are off but we can all still make our own homemade celebrations.

How much more English can you get?

Or something stronger...

We've picked three English wines to toast St George's Day with

Chapel Down Brut NV: One of the best-selling English sparkling wines and a blend of the classic Champagne varieties of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier, produced using the intricate traditional method of sparkling wine. Lush aromas of red apple, lemongrass and freshly baked bread together with hints of strawberry and quince on the palate and fine bubbles, says head winemaker, Josh Donaghay-Spire: "One for raising a glass virtually with friends and family via your video-call." £27 Waitrose, Sainsburys, Majestic, Ocado & free delivery from chapeldown.com

Chapel Down Brut

English Rose 2018: An delicate still rosé which epitomises English summer with its abundance of strawberry and cream aromas. "It is one of few rosé wines to be made using no grape skin contact which makes the palate lighter and more delicate. The wine pairs perfectly with a salad if you’ve got veggies to be using up.," says Josh. £13 Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Majestic, Ocado & free delivery from chapeldown.com

Hush Heath Balfour Brut Rosé (2016) Beautifully balanced with vibrant acidity and a refreshing finish, it is made from the three classic grape varieties - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and made in small quantities at our state of the art winery near Staplehurst. £40 from hushheath.com & free delivery with no minimum spend.

DID YOU KNOW?

St George died on April 23, 303AD.

St George was canonised in AD 494 by Pope Gelasius. It wasn't until the Third Crusade in the 12th century, that Richard I placed himself and his army under the protection of St George. He also adopted the emblem of St George, a red cross on a white background, for uniforms and later it was used on the English flag.

A feast day of St George has been celebrated in England for hundreds of years on April 23, and following the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, St George's Day became one of the most important feast days in the English calendar.

For more ideas of things to do during lockdown click here.

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