Stephen Metcalfe, local MP
for South Basildon and East Thurrock, joined Secretary of State for Communities
and Local Government and fellow Essex MP Eric Pickles to celebrate St Cedds
Day.
St Cedd is patron saint of
Essex and represents many of the values that have come to be synonymous with
the County.
The patron saint was an
Anglo-Saxon monk and bishop, instrumental in bringing Christianity to Essex. He
also helped to resolve problems in the Church of England and built various
monasteries around the County, one of which – Tilaburg – was probably
built in East or West Tilbury.
The local MP commented: “I
imagine that St Cedds Day will go unmarked throughout Essex, many don’t know we
even have a patron saint, but St Cedds Day provides a fantastic opportunity to
celebrate all that is great about Essex. The people of Essex are known for
their self-reliance, their directness, and their entrepreneurial spirit –
all of which are qualities St Cedd would have embodied.”
“I am extremely proud to
be from Essex and to represent an Essex constituency – I hope the people of
South Basildon and East Thurrock are too and I hope to see St Cedds day
celebrated more widely in the years to come!”
