Latest news with #CoopersHill
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Gloucestershire cheese-rolling champion finally gets prize
A PhD student who made a last-minute decision to take part in a cheese-rolling competition has finally been given her missing edible Dempsey was at a meeting with her supervisor in Oxford when she realised that, if she left at that moment, she could arrive at Cooper's Hill in time for the women's downhill Gloucestershire cheese-rolling Dempsey then also competed in the uphill race, only to win but not be awarded her cheese, as it had been left in a volunteer's Wakeman, master of ceremonies, presented Ms Dempsey with her cheese on Monday, a week after her win. The centuries-old event sees competitors chase 7lb (3kg) Double Gloucester wheels down Cooper's Hill near Dempsey, who is from the US state of Michigan, arrived at the hill as the women's downhill race started and threw her belongings to a 33-year-old said it was "joyful" to run down Cooper's Hill, but she then faced the prospect of collecting her belongings."They called an uphill race and I decided that might be a good way to get up the hill fast and, sure enough, I won it," she her prize could not be found, some initially suspected the cheese had been stolen. All was later revealed when the wheel was discovered in a volunteer's fridge. Jem Wakeman has been explaining the rules to competitors and starting the races as master of ceremonies for more than 10 about this year's event, he said: "It was very good to watch from the top - there's been lots of facepalms and some good fliers."Everyone does it at their own risk. I've done it myself and been injured, it's part and parcel of the game."Two people had to be taken to hospital from this year's event, which took place on 26 races are labelled "unsafe" by the local authority and are classed as an extreme sport.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Try and stay on your feet, if you fall do an army roll... Cheese-rolling winner reveals tips for success in Britain's most adrenaline-inducing race
A former Cheese-rolling champion has shared his tips for success at Britain's wackiest and most adrenaline-inducing race. Chris Anderson, 37, is something of a legend in Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire, having earned a place in the Guinness World Records for his cheese-chasing triumphs. Having stepped back from competing, he now offers advice to competitors on how to stay safe. It comes after a competitor in last week's annual competition was airlifted to hospital, and another was carried away on a stretcher. A video from the event captured the terrifying moment one competitor, dressed as a wizard, came flying down the huge hill before slamming into the ground. Reflecting on the race, Anderson told The Guardian: 'It's risky, there is no doubt about it. You've just got to be able to try and stay on your feet as long as possible and lean backwards so you can stay in control of yourself.' He said that it is better for competitors to stay in control rather than going flat out for speed. If you fall, the best bet is to do an army roll and then get back on your feet as quickly as possible, the former military man said. The event challenges people to pursue a 3kg Double Gloucester cheese rolling down the steep 200 yard hill, though has also prompted safety warnings in recent years. Hundreds of people have been gathering at Cooper's Hill to watch the occasion that is thought to have its roots in a pagan festival celebrating the return of spring. Competitors chase the cheese down the 180m-high hill, with many tripping and tumbling on their way - only to pick themselves up and resume the pursuit. The first runners to catch the cheese, which can reach speeds of up to 70mph, are declared victors in various races across the event that dates back to the 1800s. Anderson believes mid-20s is the ideal age for competitors, blending fitness with a bit of experience. But being an adrenaline junkie is also crucial. The 23-time winner of the event suggested that anyone taking part should visit the site before the event itself. He said that many willing competitors turn up on the day to run the race and pull out after viewing the hill for the first time. Now a ground worker for the event, Anderson had his preferred route down the hill, avoiding a tricky hollow. He grew up in Brockworth where the event is held each year and witnessed the race every year since he was young. He admitted that in his teenage years he and his friends used to go up the hill and 'push each other down'. In 2004, Anderson finished second place aged just 16 and vowed he would return to win the race in the future. Wasting no time, he won the event the following year, but broke his ankle when he fell in a hole while celebrating. Anderson returned to win the event another 22 times, becoming a local legend of the event. In 2022 he retired after breaking the record for the most wins. It is not known when the race was first run, but it is thought to date back for hundreds of years. The event is now a global phenomenon which attracts visitors and viewers from all over the world. Rebel cheese rollers have been staging their own unofficial event after health and safety fears caused the official competition to be cancelled in 2010. This year's event prompted a safety warning from the local ambulance, police and fire services, who warned they could be overwhelmed if there was a 'mass casualty incident'. But it went ahead as planned, with Tom Kopke, a 23-year-old YouTuber from Munich, retaining the title he won last year. Luke Briggs won one of the men's contests dressed in a Superman costume - while first-time racer Ava Sender Logan, 20, from London, was triumphant in the first women's event before admitting she did not even like cheese. She told of not remembering most of her downhill tumble, but said of the occasion: 'It's such a cool tradition.' Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson from Gloucestershire Police has previously described the event as a 'unique tradition', adding that the force had 'no desire to stop it'. But officers said they had a duty to tell the public the local Tewkesbury Borough Safety Advisory Group had declared it unsafe, raising concerns about the potential strain on emergency services. The advisory group is made up of multiple agencies, including emergency services, who work to promote safety and welfare at events. Members have told of concerns about how officials could respond if there were a major incident, after ambulances struggled to access the site in 2023. The winner of that year's women's race was knocked unconscious at the finish line and only discovered had won after waking up in a medical tent. The tradition could be given an official honour by being added to a UK heritage list. The Government is asking the public to nominate their favourite traditions that best reflect Britain, to be recorded in a new Inventory of Living Heritage in the UK. Other traditions in the same county such as surfing the Severn Bore and Woolsack Races in Tetbury have also been touted as potential contenders for the list, with heritage minister Baroness Twycross saying last month: 'The UK is rich with wonderful traditions.' The history of Cooper Hill's Cheese-Rolling event The ceremony originally took place on Whit Monday, but was later moved to the Spring bank holiday. The first evidence of cheese rolling is found in a message written by the town crier in 1826. But even then, the writing suggested it was an old tradition, believed to be about 600-years-old. 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.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jett vs. Tomac is a 'gift we don't get often'
The art of chasing a block of cheese down a steep hill One of the most unique traditions in sport, the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling competition in western England will be held this Monday. Thousands of spectators and brave competitors from all over the world will head to the iconic 200-yard hill so steep that very few participants manage to stay on their feet. World Sport's Don Riddell recently caught up with 23-time winner Chris Anderson who shared some insight on not only how to win, but also how to just make it down in one piece! 2:44 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Kiwi 'couldn't breathe, couldn't talk' after cheese race win in UK
Participants take part in the annual cheese rolling at Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, England, Monday, May 27, 2024. Photo: AP / Jacob King A New Zealand man who emerged victorious from an annual race in England - where participants fling themselves down a hill in an effort to catch a wheel of cheese - says he won't be competing in the event again. According to an Associated Press report on last year's event , races have been held at Cooper's Hill, since at least 1826, and the sport of cheese-rolling is believed to be much older. Thousands of people turn out to watch trhe event and cheer on the competitors, the report said. Byron Smith told Morning Report he had suffered a broken rib, a collapsed lung and internal injuries while winning this year's Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake near the city of Gloucester. "I did the race last year and I came out scot free because it was a lot wetter so it was more of a slip and slide. "This year it was quite dry and I just remember banging and tumbling the whole way down. "When I stood up couldn't really breathe, couldn't really talk and figured I must have banged my ribcage on something," Smith said. The traditional event attracts people from around the globe who come to chase a 7lb Double Gloucester cheese down the steep Coopers Hill. Photo: AP / Jacob King Smith said he had become a minor celebrity in the London hospital where he was recovering but he'd told his wife, if he won, he would not attempt the race again. "She's actually a nurse and she probably thinks it's a waste of public resources - which isn't that far off." Smith said he was looking forward to sharing his victor's spoils of four blocks of cheese with his friends - when he got out of hospital.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Gloucestershire cheese rolling: Two people taken to hospital
Two people had to be taken to hospital from the traditional cheese-rolling races in Gloucestershire on on Cooper's Hill, which has an incredibly steep gradient, the annual event drew thousands of spectators to watch competitors from across the world chase large cheeses down the Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said it sent an air ambulance and five land ambulances to the event after the first race, at about 12:15 races are labelled "unsafe" by the local authority and are classed as an extreme sport. A spokesperson for SWASFT said: "We were called at 12:17hrs on Monday 26 May to an incident at Cooper's Hill, Gloucestershire. "We sent five double-crewed land ambulances, an air ambulance, an operations officer, a doctor, a first responder and the hazardous area response team to the scene. "We conveyed two patients by land ambulances to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital." While ambulances were able to access Cooper's Hill this year, there have been times paramedics have struggled to access to the site, with the cheese rolling said to put a strain on emergency Borough Safety Advisory Group (SAG) warned the public that the event was advance of this year's races, the group said it had safety concerns, one being whether the emergency services would be able to respond to a potential "major incident" involving multiple casualties. As reported by the BBC on Monday, one person from the first men's race was taken to Stewart, a Tewkesbury Borough Councillor, said the council does not want to stop the event from happening in future, but does have safety concerns."The Safety Advisory Group has been left with no alternative other than to declare the event unsafe and has a duty to share this with the public," Mr Stewart the safety warnings, the event continues to attract people from across the YouTube sensation IShowSpeed needed medical treatment after taking part in the 2024 event,.German YouTuber Tom Kopke claimed victory in one of the men's downhill races for the second consecutive year on cheese rolling, believed to date back 600 years, is largely staffed by volunteers.
