Saddleworth Rushcart Weekend Begins In Uppermill

The annual festival of rushbearing started in Uppermill on Saturday morning in a blaze of colour, as the Saddleworth Morris Men performed in the Square outside the Commercial.

Then, to the sounds of cheering from the crowd lining the High Street and the jangling of dozens of shoes, morris dancers from around the country helped lead the rushcart towards Greenfield, as the tour of the villages began.

The short video above shows the rushcart leaving Uppermill Square. I also took a much longer one of the Saddleworth Morris Men’s dance, and I’ll upload that later when I get time.

You can see the timings for the whole weekend here. More details of the festival and its history are also available from the Saddleworth Morris Men website here.

And here are some snapshots of the Morris Men preparing the Rushcart, around the back of the Commerical in Uppermill. If you take your own photos over the weekend, and want to share them with Saddleworth News readers, please do e-mail them to editor@saddleworthnews.com

The Saddleworth Morris Men ready to go.

Attaching the banner to the rushcart.

Bringing the rushcart into Uppermill Square.

The traditional booze started flowing early.

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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