Make a dash for Rushcart festival

THE streets of Saddleworth will be awash with colour this weekend as local Morris Men stage the annual Rushcart festival.

The traditional event sees folk dancers entertain in advance of the rushcart parade which sees a nominated rider sit pn top pf a 15ft bale tower made from rushes gathered locally.

The rushcart is accompanied by up to 150 Morris Men from all over the world, who will pull the cart from Uppermill to Greenfield and back.

Saturday’s event will start at 10.30am from the Commercial Inn in High Street, Uppermill.

Villagers once spread rushes on the church floor to keep the congregation warmer in winter. Over time, it grew into a festival, which died out in the early 20th century only to be revived 38 years ago.

The day after the parade, the rushcart is taken to St Chad’s Church in Uppermill where the rushes are mixed with herbs and flowers and spread in the aisles.

After the service there are several entertainments, including dancing displays, music, gurning contests, clog-stepping, a competition to find the worst singer - the ast of those starting at 2.30pm in the Cross Keys car park, so you might want to be some distance away at that time...

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