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Calls to make St David’s Day a public holiday have been made by two of Wales’ police bosses.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones and Dyfed-Powys’ Dafydd Llywelyn are urging the UK Government and Prime Minister Theresea May to give the Welsh Assembly the power to introduce the holiday in Wales.

That would enable them to follow the precedent set in Scotland in 2006, when the Scottish Parliament designated St Andrew’s Day as a national holiday.

In Scotland, banks are not required to close, and it is up to employers to decide whether to give staff the day off. If November 30 falls on a weekend, the next Monday is a holiday instead.

Mr Jones said: “St David’s Day is our national day and I believe that we should introduce it as a holiday to celebrate our status as a nation.

“It is something I feel very strongly about.

“ Celebrating St David’s Day with a public holiday would celebrate the fact that we are Welsh and that Wales is a country in its own right with its own distinctive identity and customs.

“Many countries have national holidays: in the USA it is Independence Day, and in France they have Bastille Day and Victory in Europe Day, while in Spain Catalans celebrate their own national day on September 11.

“Just as in Scotland, it would be at the discretion of employers, but it would at the very least be a recognition and a celebration of our own national identity.”

Mr Jones and Mr Llywelyn are also planning to raise the matter at the next meeting of the four Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales.

(Image: Llanelli Star)

Mr Llywelyn said: “The four Commissioners and the four Chief Constables, as employers of tens of thousands of people in Wales, should lobby the Assembly for this change to be introduced.

“Arfon and I believe there is a great deal of support for the idea of creating a new official holiday to celebrate our patron saint’s day.

“It is not a great legislative issue and there is no real barrier to creating a new holiday in Wales.

“It would be a flagship day for our national pride and a mark of our maturity as a nation.”

St David was born in about 542 AD at Menevia, which is now called St David’s.

He is traditionally believed to be the son of Saint Non and the grandson of Ceredig ap Cunedda, king of Ceredigion.

He was the founder, abbot and bishop of the monastery, and was responsible for much of the spread of Christianity in Wales.

Much of David’s life is shrouded in mystery but he was once believed to be a nephew of King Arthur on his mother’s side and stands today as a symbol of Welsh resistance against the Norman Conquest. He is also recognised as the patron saint of doves.

Miracles associated with David include the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi - where he raised a hill up from the ground so that his followers could better hear a sermon – restoring sight to the blind, and bringing a dead boy back to life with his tears

His teachings drew pilgrims from Ireland and from Europe. It is believed he died in 601 AD.