The Further Exploits of that dashing morris side called

2008

As last year we braved the elements to attend the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival near Peterborough.
You do meet some exotic sides at this event !

Morley, St. George’s Day celebrations, April 19th 2008
This was our first dance out since January and we thought it might be a bit warmer – not so! In freezing weather we entertained a few passers-by in the shopping precinct of this small West Yorkshire town near Leeds. At least we were slightly warmer than the “bride” in an off shoulder white wedding gown advertising wedding limousines.

Ringheye Day of dance in Chester, April 26th 2008
After a drive to the pretty village of Mobberley in Cheshire, we boarded coaches to take us to Chester. In the spring sunshine we danced in various spots around the historic town, including alongside the river. Lunch was enjoyed in an ancient hostelry.

Whitby Moor and Coast Festival, May Day weekend 2008

Only a week later and the weather much improved! A small number of us danced to appreciative crowds on both Saturday and Sunday at the Bandstand and Dock End. We were joined by other teams this time which makes life somewhat easier. We shared the weekend with the visit of the steam train “Sir Nigel Gresley” (brother of “Mallard”), which certainly drew the crowds at Dock End; unfortunately we were unable to dance on the platform as invited due to the huge number of passengers and train spotters!

Holmfirth Festival of Folk, 10th May 2008
This local event draws many teams from far and near and means we meet lots of our friends from across the country. We fielded a bigger team this weekend, dancing in the sunshine. Even the (shortened) procession was dry – a change from the last 2 or 3 years when we have been thoroughly soaked at the end of the day.

The Greyhound, Tong Village, 20th May 2008
The first of our evening dance-outs saw us dancing with Slubbing Billys in this tasteful little village between Leeds and Bradford. We had a large team here and a big band, who later entertained customers inside the pub – many were very interested in what we were doing.

Our 30th Birthday celebrations are covered with its own page

Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival

Is just "what it says on the tin" and teams from north and south turned up to dance at various venues around the Cheshire town. The main venue was the Bull Ring which is an amphitheatre in the middle of the town. A great place to dance and to be seen to dance. Over two days the teams had chance to discover the fascination with canal transport and its various traditions and items for sale.

A weekend with Ripley Morris based in Ashover, Derbyshire.

There’s always a good welcome and great company at this weekend, and this year was no exception. Food and drink there was a-plenty, even if there wasn’t a lot of dancing on Saturday due to the rather damp, foggy weather. By the time we reached the Tramway Museum in Crich it looked and felt like a November day! However, our genial, energetic tour leader, Pat, kept us happy all day, and was still in the company of most of the group after midnight.

On Sunday morning, in a very stiff breeze, but bright sunshine, there was Pat once again leading us on a walk around the leafy paths of Ashover. Some good dancing outside the Crispin Inn followed, completed by a jolly Bonny Green Garters. Then it was back to the hall for a final lunch before battling the winds along the M1 homewards.