Daredevils defy warnings for Gloucestershire cheese-rolling occasion

A German man has won the first cheese-rolling race today, as daredevils defy police safety warnings and hurl themselves downhill in Gloucestershire’s famous Bank Holiday event.

The event, which has taken place every year on Cooper’s Hill since the 1820s, is going ahead despite objections from Tewkesbury’s safety advisory group.

The men’s downhill race began at noon and was won by a man from Germany who told the BBC he was ‘buzzing’ and would be back next year to defend his title. 

Brave competitors chase a 3kg Double Gloucester cheese rolling down the steep 180m hill, tripping and tumbling as they go, while hundreds of people gather to spectate.

The steep gradient means the event is not for the faint-hearted and the cheese can reach speeds of up to 70mph, with the first runner to catch it crowned the winner.  

The second race will start 12.30pm and third at 1.30pm. The women’s downhill race will begin at 1pm. 

An under 11s uphill race will begin at 12.15pm and an adults mixed uphill race at 1.15pm. 

Concerns have been raised by Tewkesbury Borough Safety Advisory Group who said last year’s event put a strain on emergency services after a number of people suffered injuries.

Organisers have been clearing the hill for stones, rocks, brambles and other potential hazards for today’s event but cannot guarantee they have cleared everything. 

Participants do not need to register online or pay a  huge entrance fee but people looking to take part should take a look at the field and put their name down by 10am.

Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson from Gloucestershire Police said the event is a ‘unique tradition and we have no desire to stop it’.

But police had a duty to tell the public that the council’s safety group had declared it unsafe. 

‘Those intending to go should consider the risk they might be putting themselves at’ he said. 

The Safety Advisory Group said it has made ‘numerous attempts’ to engage with organisers but they have not shared how they plan to keep people safe this year.

The group, which is made up of multiple agencies, say they are concerned about how emergency services would be able to respond if there was a major incident, after ambulances struggled to access the site in 2023.

The winner of last year’s women’s race was knocked unconscious at the finish line and she only discovered she’d won when she woke up in a medical tent.

Despite yearly warnings about the event, people travel from all over the world to attend.

There are multiple races and the rules are simple – get to the bottom of the hill first.

Gravity does most of the hard work, as competitors run – or in most cases tumble – down the steep slope.

Volunteers are ready to help catch runners at the bottom but injuries are almost inevitable.

Two possible origins have been proposed for the event. Some believe it may have evolved from a requirement for maintaining grazing rights on the common, while others believe it has pagan origins from the custom of rolling objects down a hill.

It is understood that bundles of burning brushwood were rolled down the hill to represent the birth of the New Year after winter.

It is also believed to have links to a traditional fertility rite where buns, biscuits and sweets are scattered from the top of the hill by the Master of Ceremonies (the official host).

This in turn encourages the fruits of the harvest.

In 1993, fifteen people were injured in the event, four of them seriously injured. 

In 2009 and 2011 it was cancelled due to safety concerns but despite this the event continued unofficially.

But in 2020 and 2021 the event was cancelled as a result of the Covid pandemic and returned on Sunday, June 5 2022, ending its two-year absence. 

On the official Facebook page, organisers say both spectators and participants attend at their own risk.

One senior police officer said ‘If a major incident were to occur, if people were to slip at the top of the hill and fall, we would have a crush, we would have multiple casualties and we would have a requirement to respond.’

The ‘lack of appropriate planning’ means that emergency services would struggle to respond, he added.

The wacky event is thought to have its roots in a pagan festival to celebrate the return of spring.

The Safety Advisory Group said it was willing to help the organisers get the right documentation and insurance in place.

‘We would like to see evidence of safety documentation and risk-assessment processes’ said Tewkesbury Borough Council.

It attracts competitors from around the world.

In 2006, the American National Library of Medicine published a report from The Australian headlined ‘Dozens injured as cheese roll goes crackers.

‘Twenty five people were injured at an annual cheese rolling competition in which daredevils chase giant cheese wheels down a steep slope in western England.

‘Dozens took part in the bizarre event at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth,

Gloucestershire, before a crowd of about 3,000 cheering spectators.

‘They raced for 200m down the slope after wheel-shaped Double Gloucester cheeses, decorated in a blue and red ribbon.

‘Many slipped, somersaulted, and tumbled their way to the bottom during five bone-crunching races over two hours.

‘Of the 25 people hurt, 12 were spectators, one of whom was hit by one of the hard, 4kg, dinner plate sized cheeses used in each race, but only two people were taken to hospital for further assessment.’

The event has been celebrated for centuries and is thought to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring.

Cheese Rolling on Cooper’s Hill was painted by Charles March Gere in 1948, but the first written evidence is found from a message written to the Gloucester town crier in 1826, however even then it was apparent the event was an old tradition, and is believed to be at least six hundred years old.

Chris Anderson first competed in 2004 at the age of 17, coming second, and he won his first race in 2005 and beat the record. He has now claimed the title 23 times.

The father-of-three plans to compete for another few years – until his eldest son can take over the baton.

‘It’s all over so quickly’ he said. ‘The first time I won I broke my ankle and had to get stretchered away.

‘I’m from the local village, so it’s good to keep the record in the village.

‘For the locals, it’s a massive event for us.’

Preparations for the competition have been taking place all week – trimming away stinging nettles, picking up litter and cutting the grass.

The winner of each race gets to keep the Double Gloucester cheese wheel.