Updated
Friday, 30th April 2021, 10:10 am
The organisers of Gawthorpe’s annual Maypole Procession have promised it will return “bigger and better”, after they were forced to cancel the event for the second year.
The village’s annual procession, which is held on the first Saturday of May, had this year been due to celebrate its 147th anniversary, but was called off over concerns about Covid-19.
It is only the second time in the events history that the procession - and accompanying funfair and afternoon tea - has been called off, and comes just weeks after the village’s World Coal Carrying Championships were also shelved.
IT S a unique event in Scotland that has tested the strength and endurance of competitors and put a West Fife village in the spotlight. For 21 years, it provided a modern, if bizarre, link to its rich heritage and affiliation to the pits – and this year, it s back. Plans for the Scottish Coal Carrying Championships, which were first held in Kelty in 1995, to return for the first time in six years this August were unveiled this week. Organised by Michael Boyle, the event is one of only two known coal races in the world – the other, the World Coal Carrying Championships, takes place in Gawthorpe, West Yorkshire – and, COVID-19 permitting, will be held on August 28.