MORRIS dancers from far and wide skipped and leapt to the area for Vale of Evesham National Morris Weekend.

The weekend saw over 30 sides, and approximately 500 Morris dancer, from all over the country visit Evesham, camping on the Crown Meadow, for the 13th annual event which is one of the largest dance weekends in the Morris calendar.

On Saturday the visitors took coach tours to dance around Worcestershire, the Cotswolds, and the Vale, visiting Worcester, Broadway, Stratford upon Avon, Winchcombe and Bourton on the Water, and the villages of Inkberrow, Mickleton, Wyre Piddle, Blockley, Ilmington and Bretforton, so that we could show off this most stunningly beautiful part of the country. The dancers returned in the afternoon to perform in Abbey Park. In the evening Rockingham Rapper, a sword dancing side, entertained everyone with their skills in the pubs around town.

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On Sunday the Morris sides processed from the Abbey Park, and up Bridge Street, to the Market Place, where dancing continued throughout the afternoon, when the side that was felt to have best demonstrated the spirit of the Morris over the weekend were presented with the Evesham Stick by Sue Amor, Evesham’s Deputy Mayor. The Evesham Stick is a coveted prize, which this year was awarded in memory of Geoff Watkins, the founder of the Evesham Weekend, to Loose Women – a ladies side from the village of Loose, near Maidstone, Kent.