Cumbria’s first official community flag has been revealed and raised for the very first time during a special ceremony at Carlisle Cathedral this evening. Penrith.Town was there to capture the historic moment.
The new county flag was presented to the Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria in a colourful ceremony led by a parade of Brownies. The young flag-bearers proudly handed over the banner on behalf of the people of the county, underlining the community spirit at the heart of the project.
In presenting the flag, the Brownies said:
“This flag was born from a county-wide competition that inspired people of all ages and backgrounds to share what makes Cumbria so special. Hundreds of entries were reviewed by a panel of local judges before shortlisted designs were put to a public vote, resulting in a flag that truly embodies Cumbria's landscapes, communities, and shared values.”
Receiving the flag, the Lord-Lieutenant expressed gratitude and posed an important question:
“Thank you for presenting this flag to me on behalf of the county. Do those who know of such things consider it to be a design worthy of its task of embodying the county and people of Cumbria?”
The question was answered by vexillologist Philip Tibbetts, Communities Vexillologist at the United Kingdom’s Flag Institute, who praised the design’s quality and symbolism. He explained how the flag not only meets the technical requirements of good design but also conveys a clear and unique meaning rooted in Cumbria’s landscape and history.
He said: “Any flag is a form of communication, required to transmit its message as clearly as possible. This functional requirement drives graphical considerations of simplicity in order to optimise the visibility of said flag. In this respect I can confirm that the technical elegance and distinctiveness of the design does indeed allow it to convey a unique meaning successfully.
And what a meaning it is that this design is conveying; one that through its component symbols is unmistakeable in its applicability to Cumbria. The rugged landscape of the Cumbrian Mountains and Pennines is referenced by the zig-zag pattern.
The heraldic ‘ancient crown’ represents the region’s history as a Kingdom in its own right – the Kingdom of Cumbria – which ended after the Battle of Dunmail Raise. The crown can also be seen as symbolising Scafell Pike as the tallest mountain in the Kingdom of England and the North Pennine region around Alston as the ‘Roof of England’.
However, even further to these nonetheless important points of design and symbolism, this flag has been developed and chosen by the people of the very community that it will represent. This mandate, in combination with those other factors, make the inclusion of the flag to the Institute’s register undeniable; fully in line with the procedural best practice applied in a number of other community flag competitions elsewhere across the nation.
As such, in conclusion, we find this flag to be technically, symbolically and democratically fit and proper for representing Cumbria; England’s ancient ‘Kingdom of Mountains’.”
Following these remarks, the Lord-Lieutenant warmly thanked all those who submitted designs and helped bring the project to life.
“On behalf of the people of this county, I thank all those who were involved in the co-creation of this wonderful symbol of our county. I thank all those who submitted designs and the finalists: the 1st Wetheral Brownies, Chris Brown, Gavin Chapman, Daniel Greenwood Mason and James Hodgson, Shaun Toal and Ben Walker. I also thank those who selected the winning design, and those who produced and developed this flag from that design.
I am delighted to accept this flag and proclaim that it is now the community flag for Cumbria. I look forward to seeing it fly across the county and ask the Interim Dean of Carlisle to bless this flag and the county that it symbolises.”
The Interim Dean of Carlisle Cathedral blessed the new banner before joining the Lord-Lieutenant to climb to the top of the cathedral. There, they raised the county’s first flag above Carlisle for the very first time. Crowds gathered outside to cheer as the design was revealed against the evening sky.
The winning design, created by Cumbrian artist Ben Walker, was chosen in a public vote earlier this year after a county-wide competition. Nearly 200 designs were submitted by individuals, schools and community groups before six finalists were shortlisted and put to a public vote.
Walker’s flag features a bold zig-zag pattern representing the rugged landscape of the Lake District and Pennines. At its heart sits a heraldic ancient crown – a symbol of Cumbria’s past as a kingdom, its tallest peak Scafell Pike, and the North Pennine uplands known as the “Roof of England.”
Importantly, the project came at no cost to the taxpayer. All work was carried out voluntarily by individuals and organisations, ensuring that the flag truly belongs to the people it represents.
The Cumbria Community Flag now stands alongside the historic county flags of Cumberland and Westmorland, offering a modern emblem of unity and identity for the whole county. Free for everyone to use – from schools and community groups to individuals and businesses – the new flag celebrates Cumbria’s shared pride in its past while looking confidently to its future.
As the flag flew proudly above Carlisle Cathedral this evening, it marked the beginning of a new chapter for Cumbria. More than just a design, it now stands as a shared symbol of identity and pride, representing the county’s people, its history, and its landscape for generations to come.
His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Cumbria, Mr Alexander Scott, said:
"This flag is a gift from the people of Cumbria to themselves. It is a symbol of unity, belonging, and pride, created through the imagination and spirit of our communities. We flew it for the first time at Carlisle Cathedral, and it will now be flown for generations to come."
The flag is now registered with the Flag Institute and is freely available for use across the county. Flags can also be purchased online from Flying Colours at: www.flyingcolours.org/cumbria-flag.
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