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Council committee votes in favour of turning St Piran’s Day into extra holiday in Cornwall Many Cornish people believe the far south-west of England is a nation apart from the rest of Britain. Now councillors have voted in favour of turning its “national” saint day into a bank holiday just for Cornwall. Members of Cornwall council’s corporate resources overview and scrutiny committee have approved the idea of making St Piran’s Day – 5 March – into a bank holiday. Supporters of the idea argue that many Cornish people already treat St Piran’s Day as an extra holiday and claim it may attract more tourists to the lively celebrations. Others worry that business will be harmed if Cornwall has a day off when the rest of the UK is hard at work and will confuse visitors. Doris Ansari, one of the longest serving councillors, said she was in favour of a St Piran’s bank holiday. “A lot of people take St Piran’s Day off anyway,” she said. Councillor Steve Double, said: “I am proud to be Cornish but I struggle to see how it will actually work if we have a different bank holiday to the rest of the country.” Double, who used to work in a bank, said he could foresee difficulties if banks were closed on 5 March in Cornwall but not across the rest of the country. Councillor Steve Eva, said: “I can’t support this. We should have the same bank holidays as the rest of the country.” St Piran is the patron saint of tin miners. He is accepted by many as Cornwall’s national saint and his flag – a white cross on a black background – will be familiar to many holidaymakers. According to the St Piran Trust , he was probably born in Ireland in the 6th century. One legend has him being tied to a millstone in Ireland and rolled off a cliff into a storm-whipped sea. The sea immediately became calm and he floated safely to Cornwall. In recent years there have been moves, some supported by the council and lovers of Cornwall’s heritage, to boost St Piran’s Day and make it more akin to St Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated joyously not only in Ireland but across the globe. Many pub landlords have seen the commercial benefits of hearty St Piran’s Day celebrations and put on themed events. The corporate resources overview and scrutiny committee was split 50-50 over the idea of a separate bank holiday and it took the casting vote of the chairman to push it through. The idea will now be debated by the full council. The department for culture, media and sport is consulting about moving the May Day bank holiday to a different date. A decision is expected early in 2012. Cornwall council attracted headlines, and some criticism, earlier this summer when it emerged it was mooting a £1-a-night tax on visitors. Cornwall Steven Morris guardian.co.uk