Cotswold Chatterblog

The summer is the best time of year to enjoy the age old traditions of the Cotswolds and so the Cotswolds Conservation Board, the organisation that exists to conserve and enhance the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), has created a traditional events calendar for 2008-9 that shows you where and when you can enjoy events that are closely linked to the area’s rich heritage.

There are a whole host of events that bring local colour to traditional Cotswold settings, from cheese rolling on Coopers Hill near Brockworth and the Tetbury Woolsack Races to Dover’s Hill Games and the Bourton Water Game.

Spokesperson for the Cotswolds Conservation Board, Claire Cunningham said:

“The board works to encourage people to understand and enjoy the Cotswolds AONB and taking part or being a spectator at these events helps to strengthen an awareness of the distinct qualities of the area. It re-enforces the fact that the AONB has a special character, which is worth maintaining.

There are so many interesting and unusual things that take place at these events such as the Painswick Ancient Clypping Ceremony in September. The community joins hands and forms a giant circle all the way around the church. A tradition that must have fostered community spirit for many hundreds of years, since it’s inception in 1321, and still does today.”

A summary of some of the events:

Mon 26 May - Coopers Hill Cheese Rolling, Cooper’s Hill
Sat 17 May - Levellers’ Day, Burford
Mid May - Beating the Bounds
Mon 26 May - Duck Race, Bourton-on-the-Water
Mon 26 May - Woolsack Races, Tetbury
Fri 30 May - Dover’s Hill Games, Dover’s Hill
Sat 31 May - Scuttlebrook Wake, Chipping Campden
Sat 21 June - Burford Dragon Parade, Burford
Mon 23 June - Cutting of the Witch-elder, Little Rollright
Sat 12 July - Sherston Boules, Sherston
Sat 9 August - Cranham Feast, Cranham
Mon 25 August - The Water Game, Bourton-On-The-Water
Sun 14 September - Avening Feast and Queen Matilda’s Pageant, Avening
On or after 19 Sept - Painswick Ancient Clypping Ceremony, Painswick
Nearest Thursday to 24 October - Stow-on-the-Wold Horse Fair
Wed 5 Nov - Guy Fawkes Night, Across the county
Sun 21 Dec - Winter Solstice
Fri 26 Dec - Marshfield Paper Boys

You can find a copy of the Cotswolds events calendar by clicking here or in the events section of the Cotswolds AONB website at www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk or call and request a paper copy. Tel: 01451 862003

Source: Cotswolds Conservation Board

Tags: bourton | stow | games | festivals | fair | cotswolds

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