Misplaced Pages

Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
A view down Cooper's Hill, from the start point of the race to the finish.
Status	Active
Frequency	Annually
Location(s)	Cooper's Hill
Coordinates	51°49′48″N 2°09′29″W / 51.82991°N 2.15812°W / 51.82991; -2.15812
Country	England, United Kingdom
Years active	First recorded in 1826

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 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.

Format

From the top of the hill, a 7–9-pound (3–4-kilogram) round of Double Gloucester cheese 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 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.

History

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 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 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 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 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, 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.

Cheese

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 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 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.

Injuries

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 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 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.

Results

Multiple winners

Men's race

• Chris Anderson – 23
• Stephen Gyde – 21
• Steven Brain – 18
• Islwyn "Izzy" John – 13
• Ryan Fairley – 5
• Hugh Atkinson – 5
• Rob Preece – 4
• Craig Fairley – 4
• Steve Lott - 3
• Patrick Hendzell - 3
• Michael Price - 3
• Tony Hendzell - 3
• Kevin Gyde - 3
• Aaron Walden – 3
• Jason Crowther – 3
• Richard Giles - 2
• Peter Davis - 2
• Tom Holliday - 2
• Star Royles – 2
• Andrew Deveson – 2
• Craig Carter – 2
• Craig Brown – 2
• Joshua Shepherd 2

Ladies' race

• Flo Early – 4 (2008, 2016, 2018, 2019)
• Rosemary Cooke – 3 (1953, 1955, 1956)
• Amanda Turner – 3 (1981, 1982, 1983)
• Dionne Carter – 3 (2004, 2005, 2006)
• Lucy Townsend – 3 (2012, 2013, 2014)
• Lynda Burnell - 2 (1970, 1971)
• Deborah Harwood - 2 (1972, 1973)
• Joanna Evans - 2 (1975, 1976)
• Leticia Burns – 2 (1985, 1986)
• Rebecca Haines – 2 (1987, 1988)
• Keavy Morgan – 2 (2015, 2017)
• Abby Lampe – 2 (2022, 2024)

Similar events

An annual cheese-rolling event has taken place in Chester since about 2002, to promote the town's food and drink festival. The rolling takes place on the flat down an obstacle course.

Cheese-rolling in popular culture

• 1948: Cheese Rolling on Cooper's Hill is a painting by Charles March Gere, is part of the Museum of Gloucester Collection, and depicts a live action scene of the event.

• Early 1970s: The New Inn pub was renamed 'The Cheese Rollers Bar & Restaurant' in the early 1970s. Located in the neighbouring village of Shurdington, it is named after the event, and has a collection of previous cheese casings along with photos and articles about the event.
• 2005: A children's computer game from Neopets named "Cheeseroller", involves different varieties of outlandish cheeses, rolled down a 120-metre hill in under 60 seconds, negotiating obstacles on route. Points are awarded for grade of cheese difficulty and speed of descent.
• 2008: Cheese rolling was prominently featured in the first episode of the UK television channel Five series: Rory & Paddy's Great British Adventure, broadcast on 13 August 2008, and was described as "the grandaddy of weird sports" by the titular Rory McGrath and Paddy McGuinness.
• 2018: The contest was the subject of the BBC One programme The Great Cheese Chase. The contest was part of the German reality show Joko gegen Klaas - Das Duell um die Welt, where German former football Thorsten Legat was supposed to participate, but at the end refused to do so.
• 2019: Let's Roll is a short film directed by Chris Thomas about a teenage girl Antonia (Amy Bowden) attempting to emulate her brother's successes in the cheese rolling. The film was screened at BAFTA-qualifying film festivals: Norwich and Edinburgh.
• 2019: Royal Mail issue a collectable stamps edition of UK Weird and Wonderful Customs which includes Bog snorkelling at Llanwrtyd Wells, World Gurning Championship at Egremont, Up Helly Aa in Lerwick, Burning the Clocks in Brighton, 'Obby 'Oss festival in Padstow, Samhain Celtic festival (Halloween) at Derry, Horn Dance at Abbots Bromley and Cheese-Rolling at Cooper's Hill.
• 2020: Netflix released a documentary We are the Champions, which covers six bizarre events and competitions from across the world, starting with Cheese-Rolling at Cooper's Hill. The Cheese-Rolling follows Flo Early in her preparations for 2019 and her attempt to win the ladies race for the fourth time, which had never been achieved before.
• 2021: The game Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a special item called Double Gloucester cheese that is only available from 22 May to 31 May, the period when this event takes place.

See also

• Coopers Edge

Notes

1. The spring bank holiday was moved to June 2, due to the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

References

1. ^ "Cheese Rolling in Gloucester". visitgloucester.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
2. ^ "Cheese Rolling". BBC Gloucestershire. 30 May 2005. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
3. ^ "American flies in to win Gloucestershire cheese rolling contest". The Guardian. 27 May 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013.
4. ^ "Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling 2022". gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 5 June 2022.
5. "Cheese Rolling on Cooper's Hill, Gloucester". Great British Life. 4 February 2010.
6. "'King of the Hill' Sets Lifetime Record in British Cheese-Rolling Competition". Travel. 12 June 2018.
7. ^ "Cheese-maker warned against supplying Gloucester cheese-rolling". BBC News Online. 24 May 2013.
8. "Gloucestershire cheese-rolling champ 'doesn't really like cheese'". BBC News. 26 May 2014.
9. ^ "Cheese Rolling: A brief history". BBC News. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
10. Spicer, Dorothy Gladys (1954). Yearbook of English Festivals. New York: H.W. Wilson Company. pp. 238–239.
11. ^ Anon. "Cheese Rolling on Coopers Hill, Exhibition", Gloucester City and Folk Museums, Gloucester, 14 July 2012.
12. "Previous years/cheese-rolling.co.uk". 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007.
13. Jamie Hartzell, Barbara Wyatt, Frank Passingham, Jonathan Fisher, Mike Dorrell, Michael Hicks, John Adams, Keesian Pender, Pru McEwen, Deborah Perkin, Nick Ferguson, Steve Lewis, Jo Moss, Roger Wilson (19 May 2020) . Cheese Rolling Day May 31, 1982. Brockworth: Barbara Wyatt.
14. "Cheese Rolling Day May 31, 1982". youtube.com. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
15. Morris, Steven (12 March 2010). "Gloucestershire's annual cheese rolling cancelled due to health and safety fears". The Guardian.
16. "'Unofficial' cheese rolling event". 31 May 2010.
17. "Save the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling campaign launched". soglos.com. 13 January 2011. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
18. "Gloucestershire's cheese rolling cancelled after abuse". BBC News. 24 March 2011.
19. "Coopers Hill cheese-rolling fans hold unofficial race". bbc.co.uk. BBC News online. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
20. "Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2022 on Coopers Hill in Gloucester". SoGlos. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
21. "When is the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling taking place in 2022?". gloucestercheeserolling.co.uk. 2022.
22. ^ "Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling cancelled for 2020 amid Coronavirus fears". soglos.com. 25 May 2020.
23. ^ "Guinness World Records - Most wins of a cheese-rolling race". guinnessworldrecords.com. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
24. "Double Gloucester". BritishCheese.com. British Cheese Board. 2013. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
25. "Smarts: Great Cheese Keeps Rolling - The Cheese Shed". thecheeseshed.com.
26. "More Cheese Rolling facts and information". Cheese-Rolling.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
27. "The pub named after a crazy tradition". 26 May 2024.
28. ^ "Gloucestershire cheese-rolling takes place despite warning". BBC News. 27 May 2013.
29. ^ Morgan, William (1 June 2023). "Cheese Rolling organisers asked to give detailed plan after six hospitalised". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
30. "Unofficial Gloucestershire cheese-rolling attracts hundreds". BBC News. 4 June 2012.
31. ^ Nadeem Badshah (29 May 2023). "Woman wins UK cheese rolling race despite being knocked unconscious". theguardian.com.
32. ^ Quoted in "Return to edam". smh.com.au. The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 November 2008. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
33. "Gloucestershire cheese rolling event strains emergency services". BBC News. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
34. ^ Jefferies, Jean, ed. (2007). Cheese Rolling in Gloucestershire. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Tempus Publishing limited. pp. 133–159.
35. ^ "Cheese Rolling, Roll of Hounor/cheese-rolling.co.uk". 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007.
36. "Race results 1995 events". newspapers.com. 1995.
37. "Race results 1997 events/Cheese-Rolling.co.uk". 1997. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008.
38. "Cheese rolling festival takes dangerous turn". CNN. 1997.
39. "Race results 1998 events/cheese-rolling.co.uk". 1998. Archived from the original on 22 June 2007.
40. "Race results 1999 events/cheese-rolling.co.uk". 1999. Archived from the original on 22 June 2007.
41. "Race results 2000 events/cheese-rolling.co.uk". 2000. Archived from the original on 22 June 2007.
42. "Race results 2001 events/cheese-rolling.co.uk". 2001. Archived from the original on 22 June 2007.
43. "Fallen cheese-roller (Craig Brown) calls it a day". bbc.co.uk. 2002.
44. "Earthquake halts cheese rolling races 2003". bbc.co.uk. 2003.
45. "Falling down hills: Ellis takes the big cheese". The New Zealand Herald. The New Zealand Herald. 2 June 2004. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
46. "Chasing the Big Cheese 2004". bbc.co.uk. 2004.
47. "Chasing the cheese in 2005". bbc.co.uk. 2005.
48. "Cheese Rollercoaster -The world famous Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling returned with a bang for 2006". bbc.co.uk. 2006.
49. "Cheese Rolling 2007". bbc.co.uk. 2007.
50. ^ "Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2008 review". soglos.com. 2008. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016.
51. "Cheese-chasing champion retires injured after fifth Gloucestershire win". The Telegraph. 25 May 2009.
52. "Hundreds defy cheese rolling ban". The Telegraph. 2010.
53. "Coopers Hill cheese-rolling fans hold unofficial race 2011". bbc.co.uk. 2011.
54. ""I don't even like cheese"". Mirror.co.uk. 2012.
55. "American Wins Annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling Race". BBC America. 2013.
56. "Gloucestershire cheese race winner finds himself in a pickle". theguardian.com. 2014.
57. "The Annual Cheese Rolling Race on Coopers Hill in Gloucestershire". International Business Times. 27 May 2014.
58. "Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2016 - the tumbles". YouTube. 2016. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021.
59. "Cheese-Rolling results and pictures 2016/gloucestershirelive.co.uk". 2016.
60. "Champion chaser who hates cheese wins for the 17th time". Evening standard. 2016.
61. "Cheese Rolling is as Crazy As it Seems". runningmagazine.ca. 2017.
62. ^ "Gloucester cheese-rolling veteran breaks all-time record". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 2018.
63. "Gloucestershire cheese race winner is the all-time grate". theguardian.com. 2018.
64. Gibbon, Tom; Richards, Madelaine (27 May 2019). "Cheese rolling 2019 as it happened from Cooper's Hill". GloucestershireLive.
65. "Cheese rolling 2019 Live! Latest action from Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire". gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 2019.
66. "Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake cancelled for 2021". gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 20 April 2021.
67. William Morgan (30 May 2023). "Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2023 recap updates, results, pictures and video". gloucestershirelive.co.uk.
68. ^ "Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling Races 2024". bbc.co.uk. 27 May 2024.
69. Richards, Madelaine (26 May 2019). "Former Cheese Rolling champion is set to race in this year's cheese-roll one more time aged 58". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
70. Lane, Ellis (26 June 2018). "'Hard as nails' champion cheeseroller and Matson rugby stalwart dies at 49". Gloucestershire Live. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
71. "The obituary notice of Stephen Paul Brain". funeral-notices.co.uk. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
72. "The obituary notice of Islwyn John". funeral-notices.co.uk. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
73. "Cheese rolling in Chester". bbc.co.uk. BBC Liverpool. 15 March 2006.
74. ^ "New Inn / Cheese Rollers Inn, Main Road, Shurdington GL51 5XJ". gloucestershirepubs.co.uk. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
75. "Cheeseroller". Neopets. 2005.
76. "The Great Cheese Chase - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
77. ""Das Duell um die Welt - Team Joko gegen Team Klaas" - neue Folge am 10. Februar 2024". www.prosieben.de. 4 October 2022.
78. Thomas, Chris (8 May 2020). LET'S ROLL: Cheese Rolling Short Film (Comedy). Brockworth.
79. "Let's Roll". Norwich Film Festival. 2019.
80. "Let's Roll". Edinburgh International Film Festival. 2019.
81. "Stamps: Cheese rolling, gurning and bog snorkelling on new UK stamps". Newsround. BBC. 9 July 2019.
82. "Cheese Rolling at Cooper's Hill will feature on these great new stamps". gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 10 July 2019.
83. "Netflix Series - We Are the Champions". netflix.com. 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
84. "Yes, Animal Crossing: New Horizons Is Celebrating Cheese Rolling Today — Get A New Item". animalcrossingworld.com. 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.

External links

• Sport in Gloucestershire
• Cheese festivals
• Cotswolds
• English traditions
• Annual events in England
• Novelty running