With a measly eight public holidays a year (10 in Northern Ireland), Great Britain has fewer holidays than the average for EU member states. In fact, only Romania has fewer days than we do.

Public holidays are an immensely popular part of life in the UK. These national days of celebration also play a vital part in ensuring that we have a proper balance between our working lives and the rest of our lives. We need time to pursue our hobbies, to exercise, to learn, to get involved in our local communities and to have fun.

One real strength of public holidays is that because so many people are away from work at the same time on public holidays it makes it easier to get together with our families and friends.