Cheese rolling to move to June and be a ticket-only event in Gloucestershire
A 'Save the Cheese Roll' campaign to ensure the survival of the ancient tradition at Coopers Hill will be launched later this month but the event is to become a ticket-only affair.
The Cheese Rolling Committee has decided the event must expand into a professionally organised, two-day festival with live bands, country crafts, traditional games and overnight camping, in order to survive.
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It will also move to the middle of June rather than the traditional bank holiday in May.
The campaign will be launched at the Royal William in Cranham when the committee will unveil details of the new-look event and plans to win major sponsorship to cover the increased costs involved.
The cheese rolling was the victim of its own popularity in 2009 when 15,000 spectators turned up to a venue equipped to hold only 5,000, resulting in the cancellation of the 2010 event due to fears over traffic and crowd safety.
Members of the committee have now called in Cheltenham-based Events and Management Services to organise the new-look two-day festival for 2011 and has appointed Moose Marketing and PR to handle marketing and help raise sponsorship.
Cheese Rolling Committee spokesman Nigel Thomas said: "The event really needs to change dramatically if it is to survive. In its present form it attracts just too many people for us to handle safely.
"So we have brought in E&MS to organize a completely new event to include elements of the old Coopers Hill Wake and Moose to co-ordinate publicity and sponsorship."
Peter Allison, director of E&MS, said: "We will be looking at ways to include live music and country crafts and we are planning to change the date from Spring Bank Holiday to the weekend of June 11/12.
"We would also like to reintroduce the 'wake' series of rustic games and competitions, like shin kicking, tug of war, dancing for ribbons, wrestling for a belt, grinning through horses collar for a cake, ducking for oranges, bobbing for penny loaves, climbing the maypole and coconut shies.
"We have been in continuous talks with police and emergency services, highways agency and local authorities and we are also in consultation with the immediate Cooper's Hill community.
"Whatever happens, we are determined to make it a family orientated event with proper parking, crowd control and traffic control, with public safety as a priority.
"All this will cost money so, inevitably, we will have to charge an entrance fee for the festival and it will have to be over two days to make it financially viable."
Mark Owen MD of Moose said: "We are now actively seeking sponsorship at both national and local level to offset the considerable costs involved.
"This will be a tremendous opportunity for sponsors to get local, regional and worldwide exposure, as the event is televised around the world. More than seven million Germans alone watched the last event on their national television.
"It also has a big following in Japan, America, South Africa and France with competitors coming from as far afield as Canada and New Zealand.
"Although we are not officially launching until Thursday we already have a number of sponsors in the pipeline, including Gloucester Quays designer outlet and Gloucestershire First county economic partnership."
Tickets go on sale via the internet in March – details to be released in due course.
32 Comments
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by Mark, Gloucester
Friday, January 14 2011, 6:17AM
“So moving it to June EH! I thought this was all because of ELF & SAFETY, sorry but is there not more chance of the ground being baked like concrete in June & therefore more injuries.
Next will be the Woolsack races or Tar Barrel races etc etc.
I hear this goverment is looking into ways of taxing us for walking & window shopping as it's about the only times outside our property that we are not charged for & they are missing out.”
by Hannah, The Shire
Friday, January 14 2011, 12:55AM
“you can tell the committee that they may take our emergency services but they will never take our cheese rolling!
Cheese rollers what is our profession....”
by Shaun, Humber Place, Brockworth
Thursday, January 13 2011, 10:58PM
“Well said Brocky,
Many families from 'the rivers' (you will know what I mean if you are from Brockworth) will support any public meeting. Let's use the new community centre or the library & keep Jim Hunt away.
Newcomers from 'Coopers Sludge' can stay away. KEEP IT FOR THE TRUE BROCKITIES”
by brocky, glos
Thursday, January 13 2011, 10:49PM
“maybe you the fan who is supporting it are one of the monkeys that think they are going to make money out of it do you come from brockworth NO YOU DONT, it will be boycotted and if they put fences up we will rip them down its for the LOCAL people if people want to come and watch well thats upto them its not for australians japanese and any other tom dick or harry from other parts of the world. who are the committee show your faces and do the right thing you should of held a public meeting for the locals to go and put their point of view not hide in some nice pub in cranham doing under counter deals you should of asked the local runners who run each year risking injury what they want HOW DARE YOU TRY TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF THE RUNNERS, MAKING A MOCKERY OF THEM AND THE TRADITION BY CASHING IN ON THERE BRAVERY SOME MIGHT SAY STUPIDITY WHILST THEY GET A SLICE OF CHEESE YOU WILL BE GETTING WEDGED UP IN ANOTHER WAY SHAME ON YOU”
by Lorraine, Belfast
Thursday, January 13 2011, 10:46PM
“Brockite, well said. I used to go up the hill every year but wouldn't go to a corporate, ticketed event - it just wouldn't be the same.
Good luck to the locals who will still run their own event & say "NO" to the "marketing types" who will ruin the tradition of the day.”
by brockite, glos
Thursday, January 13 2011, 10:29PM
“the cheese roll is a brockworth event why should brockworth people pay to go and why should some company make money of the backs of the runners who risk injury for a little cheese the land is common land we are all entitled to roam on it free you cant charge for common land we will pull the fences down its our land how dare you steal our tradition to make money it wont happen cos we wont let it anyone from outside brockworth has no say its our cheese roll its our land”
by Bobby, Stroud
Thursday, January 13 2011, 9:49PM
“Fan, Gloucester
There is no reason to argue or fall out. You go to the well-organised event with all the safeguards in place. I hope you enjoy it. Have a smashing time
As for cheese rolling, we will take our chances”
by Fan, Gloucester
Thursday, January 13 2011, 9:36PM
“Wouldn't the tradegy be if the event was cancelled for good? And, as far as I can see that is what would happen if the correct controls aren't put in place.
In all honesty, if people decide to boycot the main event and hold their own, how long before those events die out too and the tradition is lost forever.
Shouldn't we be supporting the Committee, to bring back cheese rolling for 2011and keep the 'ancient tradition' alive?”
by Bobby, Stroud
Thursday, January 13 2011, 8:59PM
“mate of Chris Anderson (5 times winner), Brockworth
Who gives a flying...kite...what the organisers want. And as for allowing anything - it is nothing to do with them.
Cheese rolling as normal at the end of May. Good fun, old school, easy.
Stupid comercialism in June. Pathetic, tourist drivel.
The day Cheese rolling is "allowed" by some authority is the day the Magna Carta is torn up”
by Ed, Gloucester
Thursday, January 13 2011, 8:47PM
“@Nobby Lightyear, nice try but I dont think anyones going to bite on your antagonising 'Glos v's Chelt' line today.”