From left, chairman of the flag committee, Derek Bean, flag designer John Graney and County Press editor Alan Marriott. Picture by Robin Crossley.
THE new Isle of Wight flag was launched this week and is now flying high on the flagpole over County Hall.
Brading man John Graney’s design is not only flying here, as orders for the blue-and-white design have been taken from as far away as Thailand.
The 58-year-old legal adviser at the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court said he had gone with the old maxim of keeping it simple when he came up with the design, which beat off competition from around 350 other entrants.
He was presented with a £50 prize and a copy of the flag by County Press editor Alan Marriott at the unfurling ceremony at County Hall on Tuesday.
Also present were the three runners up in the competition, Sarah Starsmore, Rachel Cushing and Howard Atkins.
Derek Bean, chairman of the Island Flag Committee, praised the members of the committee, the entrants, Graham Bartram from the Flag Institute and the Isle of Wight Council for their support for the project.
He said he was pleased to see the flag starting to appear around the Island.
• Buckingham Palace has been given an Island flag, courtesy of Island-based South Coast Flags and Flagpoles. Darren Axford, from the Wootton firm, said: “I thought the Queen and Prince Phillip should have one of the flags.”