Rushes ahead

GET SET. . . Morris Men leader Richard Hankinson (left) and rushcart jockey Cris Lowe, gathering in the rushes for the festival

HARVESTING on the high moors sets the scene for one of Saddleworth’s most colourful traditions.

Rushcutting takes place each August on the high moors at Pule Hill, overlooking Marsden, in preparation for the Saddleworth Rushcart Festival this weekend.

Over a two and a half week period, a dozen volunteers cut two to three tonnes of rushes.
These are then taken down to the yard of the Commercial pub in Uppermill where a 15 foot high rushcart is built.

On the top of the rushcart sits the jockey, this year Chris Lowe, who will ride the rushcart which will be pulled by teams of Morris Men through the streets of Saddleworth.

The action begins on Saturday with morris men dancing at the Commercial pub before the cart is pulled at 10.30 am to Greenfield, then back to Uppermill, Delph and Dobcross, finishing at 6.30pm.

On Sunday, the cart will be pulled at 10.30am from the Commercial pub to a church service at St Chad’s.

There rushes will be spread on the floor of the church — the historic reason for the tradition.

But these days with central heating warming the church, there will only be a token amount.