A OBSCURE West Dorset saint is being used to spearhead a campaign to engender Dorset pride with a flag.

The man behind the idea, David White from Dorchester chose the cross on his red, white and gold flag to cross to commemorate the West Dorset Saxon saint St Wite, whose complete remains can be found at Whitchurch Canonicoru.

The only other complete remains in England of a revered saint are those of Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey.

Mr White said: "We understand that St Wite was a local woman, possibly a reclusive and private person who worked selflessly for the local population. She is thought to have been killed during a Viking incursion in 831AD. It is thought that in times past, pilgrimages to St Wite would have been second only to pilgrimages to Canterbury."

Mr White collaborated with heraldry buff Stephen Coombs to come up with a design to represent the whole of Dorset.

His campaign has gathered do much support the first batch of flags have been ordered.

He said: "I'm really pleased. This started because I saw something described as a Dorset flag but it wasn't. People tend to get mixed up with Dorset County Council arms - but that represents an organisation, not the county.

"And the county council doesn't include Bournemouth and Poole. This flag would represent the whole county of Dorset."

He said the neighbouring counties of Devon, Wiltshire, Cornwall and Gloucstershire had devised flags and he and Mr Coombs, who teaches in Sweden, felt Dorset should do too.

The county's MPs, including West Dorset's Oliver Letwin, have also supported the scheme.

Mr White said the gold on the flag represents Dorset's beaches, Golden Cap on the Jurassic Coast, Gold Hill in Shaftesbury and the county's fields of grain, as well as a reference to the Dorset Regiment and the Gold Dragon of Wessex.

"There have been a number of attempts to stimulate the authorities of Dorset to get behind a common flag that can promote the identity of the county and give something to the residents to fly with pride. All these attempts have floundered upon the red tape of committees and never ending consultation," he added.

More information can be found on the website at the flagfordorset.org website.