A major celebration of traditional sport, community competition and racing will be held in May at Cartmel Racecourse.
On May 25, the Cartmel Gathering will be held at the venue as part of its 170th anniversary celebrations.
The first recorded modern race meeting was held at Cartmel on Whit Monday in 1856.
The Cartmel Gathering aims to recreate the spirit of those early meetings, when race days were as much a rural festival as a sporting occasion, bringing together communities.
Alongside a full programme of jump racing, the gathering will feature traditional sporting contests including tug-of-war and Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling, a Cartmel Show presence and fairground attractions and entertainment designed to reflect the historic character of the meeting.
The wrestling will be run as a fully accredited Cumberland & Westmorland Wrestling Association competition, bringing some of the region’s best wrestlers to the racecourse to compete in one of Cumbria’s most distinctive traditional sports.
The programme will also include a Traditional Wrestling Costume Competition, celebrating the heritage attire of the sport, including the distinctive black velvet trunks traditionally worn by Cumberland and Westmorland wrestlers, often embroidered with the competitor’s name or club.
Howard Tindall, of Cumberland & Westmorland Wrestling Association, said: “Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling has been part of gatherings and rural celebrations across Cumbria for generations.
“It’s wonderful to see Cartmel embracing that heritage and staging a fully accredited competition as part of the celebrations. The costume competition will
also showcase one of the most colourful and distinctive traditions in British sport.”
The tug-of-war competition is being organised with support from Upper Eden Tug of War Club, one of the leading clubs in the north of England.
Stacey Mitchell, organiser from Upper Eden Tug of War Club, said: “Tug-of-war has deep roots in rural communities and agricultural shows, so it feels like a natural
fit for an event like the Cartmel Gathering.”
Teams from Young Farmers Clubs, sporting clubs, local businesses and other local groups are encouraged to enter.
There will be a traditional fair, stalls and live music from Flookburgh Band.
Cartmel Racecourse director Geraldine McKay said the new event was intended to honour the course’s historic roots while celebrating the role the racecourse continues to play in the life of the local community.
She said: “When racing first took place at Cartmel in the 19th century it was a true community gathering, bringing together sport, spectacle and celebration.
“The Cartmel Gathering is our way of honouring that heritage by recreating something of the atmosphere those early visitors would have experienced.
“Cartmel has always been about more than racing — it’s about people coming together, enjoying great sport and celebrating the character of our local community.
“We’re delighted to be working with organisations who keep these traditional sports alive.”
