Time to go cuckoo

Hundreds of visitors from Saddleworth and Oldham will go cuckoo this weekend.

As part of Cuckoo Festival in Marsden tomorrow, Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre is hosting a variety of events and activities for visitors of all ages.

The historic community event, which celebrates the first arrival of the cuckoo and the beginning of spring, is a popular local festival and is a major highlight in the Marsden calendar.

British Waterways’ environment team, alongside members of the Huddersfield Canal Society, will be leading guided nature and heritage walks, with other activities including pond dipping, canal craft sessions, face painting, clog dancing and Morris dancing, culminating with lively evening entertainment at Marsden Mechanics Hall.

James Dean, visitor services manager at the visitor centre, said: “This unique festival is a celebrated event for the local community and we’re thrilled to be putting on a great range of events for all the family.”

“We’ve had an unbelievable start to the season with hundreds of people paying us a visit to go through the highest, longest and deepest canal tunnel in the country, to relax in our café and to take in the amazing scenery.

Folklore states that Marsden’s respect for the cuckoo stemmed from the fact that the spring and sunshine always came with its arrival. In days gone by, legend has it that the people of the village built a huge wall to try to prolong the cuckoo’s visit.

The festival starts at 10am until 4pm. Contact: 01484 844298 or email info@standedge.co.uk