Are the thousands of people careering down a steep hillside in pursuit of a wheel of cheese crackers, or is there method behind the madness?

Traditionally held on Whit Monday, now more commonly referred to as Spring Bank Holiday, thousands of people join to celebrate the Cheese-Rolling tradition at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire. Eight-pound wheels of Double Gloucester cheese, decorated in blue and red ribbons, are thrown down the bumpy hillside, shortly followed by brave competitors in the hope of catching the cheese or, more importantly, crossing the finishing line in one piece.

There are records of the tradition dating back to the 1800s, but these indicate the event was already an established tradition at that time. During World War Two, wooden ‘cheese wheels’ were used due to rationing.

Other events took place alongside the cheese rolling such as ‘wrestling for a belt’, ‘grinning through a horse’s collar for cake’ and ‘shin kicking’. All of these traditions have subsided over the centuries, but one still remains – ‘The Children’s Scramble’. In the past, pie, cake and biscuits were used, but more recently sweets are scattered to symbolise a fertitliy rite in the hope of a fruitful harvest following the birth of a new year after winter.

In spite of so much controversy and fears of the event not taking place, the tradition is still being kept alive – not only within the local community, but stretching to the whole of the UK and even overseas.