For weeks, people have been giving us their thoughts on the idea of a Derbyshire Day via the site, on board the BBC Bus and to BBC Radio Derby.  | | Chatsworth (photo: Gary Rogers) |
The vast majority of people thought it was a great idea to have a day when Derbyshire's people, places and produce are celebrated. A number of tourism organisations have pledged to support the day, too, but once the date has been declared, any group or individual could organise an event to mark Derbyshire Day. Most of the discussion has centred around what that date should actually be and from your feedback the following three options were clearly popular... Option 1 - 12th May This is Florence Nightingale's birthday. Although she wasn't born here, there are strong family connections. It fits in with the tourism experts who think a date at the beginning or end of the tourist season is best. People who liked this date thought it was good to have a birthday and preferred Florence to any of the other birthday options. Option 2 - 28th JulyThis is the anniversary of Derby becoming a city in 1977. People liked this date because it was about the status of the area, even though it relates to the city rather than the county. This would fall in the peak summer holiday period but hopefully the weather would be good! Option 3 - 22nd September | | Andy Whittaker and the Derbyshire flag! |
This is the anniversary of the 'birth' of the Derbyshire Flag. This date was liked for a number of reasons, the main one being that it applies to all of Derbyshire and not just part of it. Also, as with Option 1, it fits in with the suggestions from tourism experts who felt that a date at the beginning or the end of the tourist season would be best. It's also in term time so schools can be involved and Derbyshire Day is likely to be a day when the flag is widely flown. The date you've chosen to be Derbyshire Day will be announced on Wednesday 4th April. | 
