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May Day

Every year on the Mayday Bank Holiday Monday, the whole village gathers around the Knoll to celebrate the rites of spring and dance around the maypole. The dancing is lead by the children from Sherington First School. The first photo is from 2 May 2005, whilst the second is earlier (possibly late 1980's).

Dancing around the Maypole - 2 May 2005
Dancing around the Maypole

The dancing is then traditionally followed by a race of some sort. In the last couple of years it has been a fun run from The Knoll down the High Street up to Bancroft to Perry Lane Sports Field, back down School Lane and Church Road to The Knoll.

......Go! - Fun Run - 2 May 2005

This is then followed by the Yard of Ale competition. The "Yard" is a long tubular glass vessel with a bulbous end that can hold 2½ pints of Beer, usually Charles Wells's best bitter, and this has to be drunk in the quickest time (approx 13 seconds) generally by one of the young blades of the village.

Yard of Ale - 7 May 2007

While this is going on there are a number of concession stalls around The Knoll.

If you have any photo's of this event then we would love to borrow them to make copies.

The dancing has not always taken place on The Knoll. The first of the following photos shows the event taking place next to the Village Hall. The date was before 1972, as the Village Hall extension had not been built. In the second photo (from the early 1900's), the venue was Baker's Field - St Laud's can be seen in the background.

Mayday dancing at the Village Hall before 1972
Mayday dancing in Baker's Field

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Latest Revision: 31 December 2009