Each year, the world’s wildest community sport takes place on Cooper’s Hill: cheese rolling. Sidelines uncovers more.
The small village of Brockworth in Gloucester has come into the spotlight once again. Their annual cheese-rolling event involves participants chasing an 8-9 lbs roll of double Gloucester cheese down an almost vertical hill.
For something that attracts widespread attention from thousands of people all over the globe, its preparation is the hands of a small team.
Chris Anderson, 23x winner and World Record holder in this crazy tradition, says, “I go up with a team every year to prepare the hill.
“We go up the hill, clearing rocks, logs, rubbish and cutting the grass. There were about 20 of us who went up.”
The day before the cheese roll, the team set up all the fencing ready for the crowd to be stood behind. The event attracts approximately four to five thousand people, creating an atmosphere Chris calls “absolutely electric.”
Despite racing a total of 26 times, due to a hip injury, Chris will be swapping cheese rolling for spectating this year alongside the organising team.
Master of Ceremonies Jem Wakeman is another key part of the team who make it all possible.
Approaching his tenth year in the role, Jem places himself at the top of the hill for each race, tasked with counting down for the people racing.
“I’ll tell them the rules and then do the countdown. ‘One to be ready, two to be steady, three for the cheese, and four!” Jem says.
“We normally have a guest rolling the cheese. Last year, a family rolled the cheese for the dad who had died. We like to keep that side local.”
The importance of this tradition for the local village and community is undeniable.
Chris says, “It’s huge for the village. It brings financial help to businesses and charities and we are so passionate about keeping the tradition running.”
At 190 metres long, with the first 25 being near vertical, the incline of Cooper’s Hill is no joke.
“Videos just don’t show how steep it really is. And without actually going and looking at it yourself, you won’t understand,” Chris says. “You’ve got to have the bottle to run as much as possible and it’s the case of trying to keep your balance, but sometimes, it is quicker to let yourself fall.”
It’s safe to say he has chased cheese down a hill more times than an ordinary person, and it’s not without its hazards.
In his first win, the cheese-chasing-champ broke his ankle, but not in the way most would expect.
“I broke it by celebrating at the bottom. I jumped up to celebrate and fell into a little hole so it put a bit of a damper on the win, but I was just buzzing to have won to be honest.”
The sport’s establishment is a mystery, with no one quite knowing how it arrived to this small community in Gloucester.
“The most heard theory is that it’s an old pagan ritual and they used to throw cheese down a hill to bring good luck for the harvest,” Chris says.
“There’s another one that says they used to chuck barrels down the hill and whichever one was the strongest was the one that would be used to make wines. The barrel that always used to win was a Cooper’s barrel, hence the name of the hill.
“I don’t know if there’s any truth in that. Nobody really knows the real answer,” he admits.
Jem also admits he doesn’t know where the tradition came from.
“Some say it’s in the doomsday book,” he says. “Some say it’s 200 – 400 years old.”
The team behind the cheese rolling are now working to add it to the UK heritage list, meaning it could be officially recognised and protected as an event.
Jem says, “I’m really up for it. Keep this old tradition going, so if it gets on that list it can never be stopped.”
With an ever-growing global following and the possibility of official recognition, Brockworth continues to gear up for this year’s race and the event’s future looks brighter than ever.
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