Author: Purple Brolly

Until the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, the idea of taking a day off with pay for non-sacred or non-medical reasons would have been considered revolutionary by most of the working population at that time. Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day were the only days normally allowed, especially in industrial and service occupations.

Yet Sir John Lubbock (1834-1913), coming from a family of London bankers, pushed through the Act soon after becoming an MP in 1870. He was highly praised for this contribution to what is now called the ‘work-life balance’ and it was wittily suggested that his ‘Bank’ Holidays ~ extra days when the banks are shut and employers follow suit ~ should be called ‘St. Lubbock’s Days’ in the style of the church’s feast days.

The 6 Bank Holidays shared throughout the UK are: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Early May (first Monday in May), Spring (last Monday in May), Christmas Day and Boxing Day. England, Wales and N.Ireland also have Easter Monday and Summer (last Monday in August), totalling 8 days, but N.Ireland also has St. Patrick’s Day and Orangemen’s Day (12th July), giving them 10. Meanwhile, Scotland has 9 days with 2nd January (end of Hogmanay), Summer (first Monday in August) and St. Andrew’s Day.

(Image of Early May Bank Holiday in a London park: It’s No Game at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

North Devon is blessed with many long, sandy beaches, three of which have played host to the UK’s National Sandcastle Competition. This annual event is a fund-raiser for the North Devon Hospice in Barnstaple and began around 1995 on the popular 3-mile stretch of golden sand at Woolacombe. It then moved a little further down the coast to Croyde, where it remained until the whole thing took a 4-year hiatus in 2015-18.

In 2019 it reappeared even further down the Devon coastline, at Westward Ho! (the only British place-name with an exclamation mark). Thousands of visitors attend the event, now held in June (August previously) and anyone can enter, even businesses. Adult teams are limited to six members, children’s to four. Adults have three hours to create their masterpieces while children have one hour. Everyone must bring their own tools, which must be basic, i.e. no power tools, diggers or scaffolding!

Each team is allocated a 23x23ft plot of sand and must not encroach upon or steal from other plots. However, while ‘competition’ is in the name, fun is the objective, all in a good cause. Prize-winning designs have included Daleks, dragons, turtles, spaceships, Simpsons characters, action heroes.. oh, and castles, of course.

(Image: www.visitwestwardho.co.uk / CC0)