17-480: The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill , at Brockworth near Gloucester , England. Participants race down the 200-yard (180 m) long hill chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese . It is uncertain when the tradition first began, and is possibly much older than its earliest known written attestation in 1826. The event has
34-591: A leading statesman of the reign of Elizabeth I , who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland , was born in Churcham and is buried in the parish church. Alfred Henry "Harry" Hook VC (1850-1905) was born in Churcham. A private in the 24th Regiment of Foot, he received his Victoria Cross for his actions at Rorke's Drift . He is buried in St Andrew's churchyard. [REDACTED] Media related to Churcham at Wikimedia Commons This Gloucestershire location article
51-473: A long tradition, held by the people of the village, but now people from a wide range of countries take part in the competition as well. The Guardian called it a "world-famous event," with winners coming from Australia , Belgium , Canada , Egypt , Germany , Japan , New Zealand , and the United States . From the top of the hill, a 7–9- pound (3–4- kilogram ) round of Double Gloucester cheese
68-537: A population of 655. Churcham Primary School , is a small C of E school with 59 pupils in two classes. The village was formerly the home of The School of the Lion , a small independent Christian school , for students aged 4–19. There are a number of businesses situated in Churcham and the surrounding area. Churcham Business Park , completed in April 2004, provides a base for several. Sir Nicholas Arnold (1507–1580)
85-460: A previous participant as "twenty young men chasing a cheese off a cliff and tumbling 200 yards to the bottom, where they are scraped up by paramedics and packed off to hospital". There is no official medical provision on site, leading to concerns from the local resilience forum about the safety of the event. An annual cheese-rolling event has taken place in Chester since about 2002, to promote
102-413: A spectator. Multiple races are held during the day, with separate events for men and women. In the 2013 competition, a foam replica replaced the cheese for safety reasons, but a real cheese was restored the following year. This ceremony originally took place each Whit Monday , but was later moved to the Spring Bank Holiday . The first written evidence of cheese rolling is found in a message written to
119-417: Is sent rolling down the hill, which is 200 yards (180 m) long, and with a slope of around 50 per cent (26.6 degrees). Competitors then start racing down the hill after the cheese. The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese. The competitors aim to catch the cheese; however, it has around a one-second head start and can reach high speeds, enough to knock over and injure
136-518: The Gloucester town crier in 1826; even then it was apparent that the event was an old tradition, and it is believed to be at least six hundred years old. Two possible origins have been proposed for the ceremony. First, it may have evolved from a requirement for maintaining grazing rights on the common. Second, there may be pagan origins for the custom of rolling objects down the hill. It is thought that bundles of burning brushwood were rolled down
153-616: The Republic of Ireland, there are some bank holidays which are not public holidays. The term "bank holiday" refers to the fact that banking institutions typically close for business on such holidays, as they once used to do on certain saint's days . Churcham Churcham is a small village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean District of Gloucestershire in England , located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Gloucester . It has
170-463: The cheese-rolling event was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . The cheese-rolling event returned on Sunday 5 June 2022. ending a two-year absence. The cheese currently used in the event is 7–9-pound (3–4-kilogram) Double Gloucester , a hard cheese traditionally made in a circular shape. Each is protected for the rolling by a wooden casing round the side, and is decorated with ribbons at
187-400: The event have felt compelled to use a lightweight foam version for safety reasons. In the second race of 2013, Australian Caleb Stalder managed to catch the fake cheese and claim victory despite being some way behind the leaders. Due to the steepness and uneven surface of Cooper's Hill, there are usually several injuries each year. St John Ambulance have previously provided first aid cover at
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#1732787986502204-498: The event to continue operating. The proposals were received negatively due to the cost of tickets, and the proposed event was cancelled following the organisers receiving abuse. Despite the cancellation, the event continued unofficially with around 200 people attending. The event has continued, however without official management or planning alongside the Council Safety Advisory Group. In 2020 and 2021,
221-405: The event; however, this stopped in 2012 when the event was no longer being officially managed. Canadian competitor Delaney Irving won the ladies race in 2023, despite finishing unconscious, and only learning of her victory in the medical enclosure. A total of six competitors were transported to hospital by ambulance treatment following the event. Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling has been summarised by
238-685: The hill to represent the birth of the New Year after winter. Connected with this belief is the traditional scattering of buns, biscuits and sweets at the top of the hill by the Master of Ceremonies . This is said to be a fertility rite to encourage the fruits of harvest. In 1982, a team of students from the University of Bristol filmed the 31 May event using film cameras, with one camera overcranked to produce slow motion . In 1993, fifteen people were injured, four of them seriously, chasing cheeses down
255-448: The hill with its one-in-three gradient (18.4 degrees). In 2009, safety concerns were raised after 15,000 spectators arrived, when there was only space for around 5000. These concerns led to the organisers cancelling the 2010 event. Despite the cancellation, around 100 people attended and held an unofficial event. In 2011, a new 2-day ticketed event was proposed in order to address the safety concerns raised in previous years and to allow
272-743: The start of the race. Formerly, three cheeses were presented by parishioners, and the cheeses were usually rolled by them. A collection is usually made now to purchase them, as well as sweets, and also to provide prize money. Since 1988, the cheese has been supplied by local cheesemaker Diana Smart and her son Rod from their Churcham farm. In May 2013, a police inspector warned the 86-year-old Smart that she could be held responsible for injuries. Chief Superintendent Nigel Avron of Gloucestershire Constabulary also made these comments: "If you are an organiser in some way or some capacity you could potentially be held liable for something that took place at that event". Diana Smart died in 2021. In recent years, organisers of
289-745: The town's food and drink festival. The rolling takes place on the flat down an obstacle course. Bank holiday#In the United Kingdom A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies , and a colloquial term for a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland . In the United Kingdom, the term refers to all public holidays, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation , or held by convention under common law . In
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