Get the children feeling fit and active during the October half term with Cotswold-wide sport sessions, thanks to The Sports Club.

Daily doses of sport sessions are being hosted at five venues across the Cotswolds by a dedicated team of coaches, who offer a wide range of sports and activities for children from 5-16 years old.  Read the rest of this entry »

Giving children the chance to enjoy outdoor play this summer is the aim of a new scheme launched by Cotswold District Council this month.

The Council’s new ‘Play Ranger’ scheme starts on Monday July 7th, where a small team of Play Rangers – led by Team Leader Katie Spencer – will travel to locations in Chesterton, Tetbury, Moreton in Marsh, Andoversford and Chedworth, equipped with a whole host of fun and games for local children to take part in.
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Sunday 6th July – Sunday 31st August at the Where I Fell In Love Gallery, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire.
A selection of Paintings, Ceramics and Sculpture from some local and some international artists.

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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. Read the rest of this entry »

(From the letters section of the Chipping Campden Bulletin. Reproduced with kind permission of Jeremy Green) 

Dear Jeremy,

In 2008 Beijing hosts the Olympic Games, with London to follow in 2012. But for Campden every year is “Olimpick”, and in 2012 the Cotswolds Olimpick Games will celebrate their 400th anniversary. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 – London Olympic Games & 400th anniversary of Cotswold Olimpick Games

During their successful bid for the 2012 London Olympic Games the British Olympic Association included the following statement “An Olympic Games held in London in 2012 will mark a unique anniversary – it will be exactly 400 years from the moment that the first stirrings of Britain’s Olympic beginnings can be identified. In 1612 in the tiny village of Chipping Campden, Robert Dover opened the first Cotswold Olimpicks, an annual sporting fair that honoured the ancient Games of Greece.”
This was the pre-dawn of the Olympic Movement and the Cotswold Games began the historical thread in Britain that was to ultimately lead to the creation of the modern Olympics.

The Cotswold Olimpick Games organising committee recently met with the South West Director for events linked to the 2012 Olympic Games to discuss possible partnerships and amongst the suggestions were – having the traditional Olympic flame carried through Chipping Campden on its way to London and having some Royal attendance for the 2012 Cotswold Olimpick Games as in 1636 Prince Rupert attended the Cotswold Games.

The Robert Dover’s Cotswold Olimpick Games have a long history going back to the time when the Dovers Hill site was part of the Kiftsgate Hundred Court. Their present form takes much from the records of the Games in the early 17th Century.
Robert Dover (1582-1652) came from Great Ellingham in Norfolk and settled in Saintbury near Chipping Campden in 1611 and he was given permission by James I to hold the Games which still bear his name.

www.olimpickgames.co.uk

The Telegraph Review of Saturday June 2nd published a list of the top websites for Competitive Hobbyists. As one of the “hobbies” was our own Cotswold Olimpicks at Chipping Campden the others on the list make interesting comparisons and are all well worth having a look at:-

World stone-skimming championships -www.stoneskimming.com

World conker championships – www.worldconkerchampionships.com

World marbles championship – www.marblemuseum.org

World bog snorkelling championship – www.llanwrtyd-wells.powys.org.uk

World stinging nettle eating championship – www.thebottleinn.co.uk

World gurning championship – www.egremontcrabfair.org.uk

(gurning is competitive face-pulling and not a lot of people know that)

World worm-charming championship – www.wormcharming.com

World peashooting championship – www.witcham.org.uk

World egg-throwing championship – www.eggthrowing.org

Mangold hurling – www.mangoldhurling.co.uk

(mangold hurling is the only one not billed as a world championship – just a bit of fun instead)

Have a look at these sites and see how they compare to the Cotswold Olimpicks. Although billed as world championships they are all held in the UK.

Update 7th June

The BigBuzz Blog have a great article about Worm Charming and there is a video of the World Stinging Nettle eating Championships on the BrightCove site here

1st June Robert Dover’s Olimpick Games

On Friday 1st June Dover’s Hill above Chipping Campden, will echo with the shouts and cheers of competitors and spectators as the open air games are celebrated for another year.

The Games were inaugurated in 1612 by Captain Robert Dover and the natural amphitheatre of Dover’s Hill is perfect for a number of contests and races – shin kicking, tug-of-war, wrestling, obstacle and cross country. Bands march, cannon fire and the evening is brought to a close with a bonfire and firework display.

A torchlight procession then wends its way down into Chipping Campden followed by dancing in the square into the wee small hours.

Stay at Little Gidding and we will take you down to the Games and pick you up when you are ready to come back.