Campaigners hope to get Fenland Flag officially recognised

The Fen Tiger has been adorned on a flag which is proudly on display across the district, with many shops, businesses, cars, boats and camper vans across now displaying Fenland Flag stickers and pennants to show support.

The flag was designed by James Bowman, an author and historian who lives in Ely, with the campaign beginning in earnest in September 2018.

And with considerable local backing James intends to this summer put forward the design to the Flag Institute which it hopes will add it to its register.

James said: “As a Fens resident of 25 years I have a strong feeling for the area, and as a flag-lover I was aware of the growth in recent times of sub-national (regional) flags.

“In particular, I was inspired by the success of the Black Country flag, only registered in 2012 but already very visible in that area and a striking symbol of a long-standing and strong identity.”

Currently, more than 20 shops and small businesses in Whittlesey are displaying the flag in their windows, while 38 community transport buses in the town of March are also decorated with the flag.

The Fen Tiger design derives from the sometimes violent opposition of the local population to the drainage schemes of the 16th and 17th centuries.

The term has subsequently been used for various clubs and associations.

The design features a heraldic tiger placed in a central field of yellow, representing agricultural prosperity. The blue outer fields represent the region’s natural and man-made waterways.

The range of Fenland Flag merchandise includes pennants, stickers, badges, postcards and bandanas.

For more on the campaign, visit the ‘Fenland Flag’ Facebook group.