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Amateur film of two sporting events in Britain in the 1970's. 1970's, England v Wales at rugby union, possibly at Cardiff Arms Park. 1970's, Everton v Liverpool at Football in the 1970's.

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What types of sports do you think may have been particularly popular?

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Why were sporting events scheduled for bank holidays?

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Relevance today

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MPs are to debate having an extra bank holiday this year in the House of Commons to commemorate a milestone in the Queen's reign.

Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell believes it would be a missed opportunity to not have an extra bank holiday as the Queen prepares to make history this year by becoming the first British monarch to spend 65 years on the throne.

The Tory politician for Romford wants everyone to take a day off in June to enjoy traditional street parties and events.

The issue was raised at Westminster yesterday and went unopposed by Mr Rosindell's peers.

The Bill, which will need to win the support of ministers before it can be passed into law, has been scheduled for debate in the Commons on March 24.

Major disruption expected as no trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa in April

"It's almost certainly going to be a very long time before any monarch gets anywhere near 65 years," Mr Rosindell told PA.

"It's the first time we've had any Sapphire Jubilee and if we let this go by and don't have some sort of national day of celebration, it'll be a missed opportunity.

"It's also for the young people - I remember the Silver Jubilee as a kid and learnt how important these national occasions are."

The Queen acceded to the throne following the death of her father, George VI, on February 6, 1952.

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This is why we may get an extra Bank Holiday this year

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MPs are to debate having an extra bank holiday this year in the House of Commons to commemorate a milestone in the Queen's reign. Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell believes it would be a missed opportunity to not have an extra bank holiday as the Queen prepares to make history this year by becoming the first British monarch to spend 65 years on the throne.

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1871 Bank Holiday Act

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The man who gave us all our Bank Holidays? Why, it was a banker!

It's fair to say that bankers are not exactly the toast of the town these days.

But if you've been out in the sunshine today, perhaps sizzling some meat on the barbecue, or watching the cricket at Headingly, relaxing on the beach, it's a banker you have to thank. A dead one, admittedly.

For it was Liberal MP John Lubbock who got the ball rolling back in 1871 by tabling the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, aiming to ease the pressure on workers with an extra four days off - at that point on Easter Monday, the first Monday in August, Whit Monday, and Boxing Day.

Lubbock was the son of a London banker, and a banker himself before becoming elected the Member of Parliament - in 1870, and again in 1874 - for Maidstone in Kent.

The fine fellow had four main political agendas, one of which was securing additional holidays and shorter working hours for the working classes.

The bill was passed, and predictably it went down well with the masses - there were attempts to have the early August bank holiday renamed St Lubbock's Day, but it didn't stick; 'bank holiday' is the favoured term. In fact, today the term is colloquially - albeit incorrectly - used for public holidays such as Good Friday and Christmas Day, which are not officially bank holidays.

So why do we have the day off today, in May?

Well, a century after the 1871 Act, the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 was passed. The majority of the current bank holidays were specified in the 1971 Act, but New Year's Day and May Day were introduced after 1971.

From 1965, the date of the August bank holiday was changed from the first Monday in August to the last. Curiously, there were a few years (e.g. 1968) when this holiday fell in September, but this no longer occurs. The Whitsun bank holiday (Whit Monday) was replaced by the Late Spring Bank Holiday - fixed as the last Monday in May - in 1971. In 1978 the first Monday in May in the UK, and the final Monday of May in Scotland, were designated as bank holidays.

Why is it even called a 'bank' holiday? Elementary, my friends - it's because the banks are shut for business, and if the banks are shut, no business can be done and so we might as well all give up. And when the financial system comes to a stop, the law makes provision for certain payments to be deferred until the next appropriate day without penalty.

The eight days allotted to workers in England, Scotland and Wales are the lowest in the EU, where the average is 10.8 days. Only the Dutch share our obvious desire to spend as much time as possible at work.

There have been calls for more bank holidays, including one on 23 April (St George's Day and Shakespeare's birthday) in England and 1 March (St David's Day) in Wales.

In Ireland, St Patrick's Day (17 March) is a public holiday and, since 2008, St Andrew's Day (30 November) is a bank holiday in Scotland. The Scots also have 2 January off, and the Irish also have an October bank holiday on the last Monday of the month.

The Coalition government launched a consultation in 2011 which included the suggestion of moving the May Bank Holiday to October, in fact, to be a 'UK Day' (which sounds extremely naff) or 'Trafalgar Day' (better).

Despite Lubbock's good work, a 'Banker Day' might be going too far.

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The man who gave us all our Bank Holidays? Why, it was a banker!

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It's fair to say that bankers are not exactly the toast of the town these days. But if you've been out in the sunshine today, perhaps sizzling some meat on the barbecue, or watching the cricket at Headingly, relaxing on the beach, it's a banker you have to thank.

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By the 1920s, most workers had become used to the idea of paid holidays and having at least part of Saturday off work.

The 1871 Bank Holiday Act gave people extra days off.  For many people this meant one thing – sport.  Kick offs were standardised for 3 o’clock on a Saturday and this arrangement stayed for many decades.

Sport was also arranged for bank holidays such as Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day when large crowds could be attracted.

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In the late twentieth century, people enjoyed more free time than ever.  This was largely due to more flexible working patterns eg. part time/flexi-time/career breaks.  Much of this increased leisure time was spent on sport and recreation.

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In the late twentieth century, people enjoyed more free time than ever.  This was largely due to more flexible working patterns eg. part time/flexi-time/career breaks.  Much of this increased leisure time was spent on sport and recreation.