Last Saturday marked St Piran’s Day, the national day of Cornwall, and after the restrictions of the last couple of years it certainly was an opportunity for the whole community to come together to celebrate.

Local Cornish residents travelled to an ancient oratory in Penhale Sands, near Newquay, order to celebrate the occasion.

Penhale Sands is believed to be the original landing site of Saint Piran.

Dating back to the 6th century, St Piran's Oratory is also thought to be one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain.

The remains were discovered in the late 18th century, and in 2014 the covering sand was removed to reveal a building more than a thousand years old, in a reasonable state of preservation.

Why do we celebrate St Piran's Day?

Legend tells of Piran’s arrival in Cornwall from Ireland during the 5th century.

After a disagreement with King Aengus of Munster, Piran was tied to a millstone and thrown off the Irish cliffs into a stormy sea.

The sea became calm and the millstone miraculously floated and brought him to Cornwall, where he washed up on Perranporth beach. He spoke only Irish and the locals spoke only Cornish but he still gathered disciples.

His first followers were said to be a badger, a fox and a boar.

One evening, followers had gathered around a fire to listen to Piran when he saw a rock glowing. He hit it with his staff and silver liquid poured out in the form of a cross. The silver liquid was tin.

This white cross on a black background became the St Piran’s Flag; the emblem of the Cornish tinners and the Cornish national flag.

Piran’s followers built a small chapel in the sand dunes, which has recently been excavated from the sand at Perranporth.