Qormi’s Feast of St George has decided to ditch plastic balloons this year, following an appeal by an environmentalist.

Instead of releasing balloons during the feast’s band march, as has been the tradition for several years, the St George External Festivities Committee has handed out coloured flags, which revellers are encouraged to re-use at next year’s celebration.

The committee said it had decided to change its practices after Malta Clean-Up activist Cami Appelgren reached out to them.

In a letter to Ms Appelgren, the feast organising committee said the move not only gave parishioners a more long-lasting souvenir of the event which heralds a week of celebrations in honour of their patron, St George, but also had a relatively much smaller impact on the environment than the traditional balloon release.

“We thank you once again for your interest in the organisation of the feast of St George, and for motivating the Committee to do its share to protect the environment.”

Reacting to the news, Ms Appelgren said “there are the heroes we need to write about! The ones going out of their way to make good decisions and stand by their values.”