Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
Annual event held in Gloucestershire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, at Brockworth near Gloucester, England.[2] Participants race down the 200-yard (180 m) long hill chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. It is uncertain when the tradition first began, and is possibly much older than its earliest known written attestation in 1826.[1] The event has a long tradition, held by the people of the village, but now people from a wide range of countries take part in the competition as well. The Guardian in 2013 called it a "world-famous event", with winners coming from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.[3][4]
| Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake | |
|---|---|
A view down Cooper's Hill, from the start point of the race to the finish. | |
| Status | Active |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location | Cooper's Hill |
| Coordinates | 51°49′48″N 2°09′29″W |
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
| Years active | First recorded in 1826[1] |
| Most recent | 26 May 2025 |
The event is called Cheese-Rolling and Wake because it includes the cheese rolling race itself, and the festive gathering that follows. The word "wake" can mean an annual festival and holiday, originally one held in a rural parish on the feast day of the patron saint of the church. Brockworth has St George's Church, and the feast day of St George is 23 April.
Format
From the top of the hill, a 7–9-pound (3–4-kilogram) round of Double Gloucester cheese is sent rolling down the hill, which is 200 yards (180 m) long, and with a slope of around 50 percent (26.6 degrees).[5][6] Competitors then start racing down the hill after the cheese.[7] The competitors aim to catch the cheese; however, it has around a one-second head start and can reach high speeds, enough to knock over and injure a spectator. The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese, even though the cheese is never actually caught.[8] Multiple races are held during the day, with separate events for men and women. Participants in the downhill races must be over the age of 18.[9]
Then there are separate uphill races. Considerably less hazardous, these races are open to minors. In the past (e.g. 2014), the uphill race categories have been "boys 14 and under" and "girls 14 and under". In the most recent races in 2025, the children's uphill categories were "under 11" and "11 and over". The adult's uphill race was mixed.[9]
The number of races held during the event has varied over the years, but there are usually four downhill races (three men's, one women's) and a number of uphill races (adults and children).[citation needed]
In the 2013 competition, a foam replica replaced the cheese for safety reasons, but a real cheese wheel was restored the following year.[10]
History
The event originally took place each Whit Monday, but was later moved to the Spring Bank Holiday. The first written evidence of cheese rolling is found in a message written to the Gloucester town crier in 1826;[1] even then it was apparent that the event was an old tradition, and it is believed to be at least six hundred years old.[11][12]
Two possible origins have been proposed for the ceremony. First, it may have evolved from a requirement for maintaining grazing rights on the common.[11][13] Second, there may be pagan origins for the custom of rolling objects down the hill. It is thought that bundles of burning brushwood were rolled down the hill to represent the birth of the New Year after winter. Connected with this belief is the traditional scattering of buns, biscuits and sweets at the top of the hill by the Master of Ceremonies.[14] This is said to be a fertility rite to encourage the fruits of harvest.[13]
In 1982, a team of students from the University of Bristol filmed the 31 May event using film cameras, with one camera overcranked to produce slow motion.[15][16]
In 1993, sixteen people were injured, four of them seriously, during the event.[13] In 2009, safety concerns were raised after 15,000 spectators arrived, when there was only space for around 5,000. These concerns led to the organisers cancelling the 2010 event.[17] Despite the cancellation, around 100 people attended and held an unofficial event.[18]
In 2011, a new 2-day ticketed event was proposed in order to address the safety concerns raised in previous years and to allow the event to continue operating.[19] The proposals were received negatively due to the cost of tickets, and the proposed event was cancelled following the organisers receiving abuse.[20] Despite the cancellation, the event continued unofficially with around 200 people attending.[21] The event has continued without official management or planning alongside the Council Safety Advisory Group.
In 2020 and 2021, the event was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] It returned on Sunday 5 June 2022, ending a two-year absence.[23][24][a]
Cheese
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The cheese currently used in the event is 7–9-pound (3–4-kilogram) Double Gloucester, a hard cheese traditionally made in a circular shape.[26] Each is protected for the rolling by a wooden casing round the side, and it is decorated with ribbons at the start of the race. Formerly, three cheeses were presented by parishioners, and the cheeses were usually rolled by them. A collection is usually made now to purchase them, as well as sweets, and also to provide prize money.[13]
Since 1988, the cheese has been supplied by local cheesemaker Diana Smart and her son Rod from their Churcham farm.[7][27][28] In May 2013, a police inspector warned the 86-year-old Smart that she could be held responsible for injuries.[7] Chief Superintendent Nigel Avron of Gloucestershire Constabulary also made these comments: "If you are an organiser in some way or some capacity you could potentially be held liable for something that took place at that event".[7] Diana Smart died in 2021.[29]
In 2013, organisers of the event switched to a lightweight foam version of the cheese for safety reasons.[10] In the second race of 2013, Australian Caleb Stalder managed to catch the fake cheese and claim victory despite being some way behind the leaders.[30] In 2014, the organisers returned to using real cheese.[10]
Injuries
Due to the steepness and uneven surface of Cooper's Hill, there are usually several injuries each year.[31] St John Ambulance have previously provided first aid cover at the event; however, this stopped in 2012 when the event was no longer being officially managed.[32] The lack of official medical provision on site has led to concerns from the local resilience forum about the safety of the event.[33]
Canadian competitor Delaney Irving won the ladies' race in 2023, despite finishing unconscious, and only learning of her victory in the medical enclosure.[34] Six competitors were taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment following the event.[31]
Results
| Year | Race 1
(men's downhill) |
Race 2
(men's downhill) |
Race 3
(women's downhill) |
Race 4
(men's downhill) |
Race 5
(men's downhill) |
Race 6 (11 and under uphill) |
Race 7 (12 to 16 uphill) |
Race 8 (adults' mixed uphill) |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Roy Mitchell (1) | Roy Mitchell (2) | Jean Simpson | M.J. Russell | [35] | |||||
| 1949 | Roy Mitchell (3) | J. Binder | Betty Hunt | Bernard Morgan (1) | [35] | |||||
| 1950 | T. Brewster | H. Ireland | M.E. Light | Ken Davis | Bernard Morgan (2) | [35] | ||||
| 1951 | Tom Holliday (1) | M.C. Pinchin | Jean MacDonald | J. Bailey | [35] | |||||
| 1952 | Tom Holliday (2) | Hugh Atkinson (1) | Hilary Cooke | no race | [35] | |||||
| 1953 | Tom Holliday (3) | Ronald Ray | Rosemary Cooke (1) | no race | [35] | |||||
| 1954 | Michael Price (1) | Eric Avent | Elke Ellaway | Hugh Atkinson (2) | [35] | |||||
| 1955 | Michael Price (2) | Hugh Atkinson (3) | Rosemary Cooke (2) | Roy Holliday | [35] | |||||
| 1956 | Michael Price (3) | Hugh Atkinson (4) | Rosemary Cooke (3) | Glyn Jenkins | Rosemary Cooke sets women's record of 3 wins[35] | |||||
| 1957 | Izzy John (1) | Izzy John (2) | June Wheeler | Hugh Atkinson (5) | Frank Faulkner | [35] | ||||
| 1958 | Izzy John (3) | Izzy John (4) | unknown | Clive Walker | Izzy John (5) | [35] | ||||
| 1959 | Izzy John (6)* | Izzy John (7)* | Mary Bancroft | unknown | * unconfirmed[35] | |||||
| 1960 | Izzy John (8) | Stanley Wilson-Copp | Sheenan McBride | Raymond Beard | [35] | |||||
| 1961 | Izzy John (9) | Izzy John (10) | no race | Paul Quarry (1) | Paul Quarry (2) | [35] | ||||
| 1962 | Paul Quarry (3) | Paul Quarry (4) | no race | Roger Windo (1) | Izzy John (11) | [35] | ||||
| 1963 | Roger Windo (2) | Roger Windo (3) | Pat Harding | Clive Whittaker (1) | [35] | |||||
| 1964 | Clive Whittaker (2) | Roger Windo (4) | Julie Tiffany | Izzy John (12) | Izzy John sets the record with unconfirmed 12 wins[35] | |||||
| 1965 | Raymond Giles (1) | Michael Davis | Janet Ballinger | Clive Whittaker (3) | [35] | |||||
| 1966 | Raymond Giles (2) | Raymond Giles (3) | Janet Beesley | Michael Giles | [35] | |||||
| 1967 | R.A. Copley | Eric Huckins | Diane Bowers (1) | George Duckett | [35] | |||||
| 1968 | Hugh Oxenham | Eric Huckins | Barbara Bayne | Michael Giles | [35] | |||||
| 1969 | Richard Giles (1) | Richard Giles (2) | Diane Bowers (2) | Joe Johnson | [35] | |||||
| 1970 | Richard Giles (3) | Richard Giles (4) | Lynda Burnell (1) | Peter Davis | [35] Gloucestershire Echo wrongly reported her name as Lynda Burnett | |||||
| 1971 | Steve Lott (1) | Peter Davis | Lynda Burnell (2) | Gordon Graham | [35] | |||||
| 1972 | Steve Lott (2) | Christopher Woodhouse (1) | Deborah Harwood (1) | John Hendzell | Steve Lott (3) | [35] | ||||
| 1973 | Christopher Woodhouse (2) | Alan Thorpe | Deborah Harwood (2) | Patrick Hendzell (1) | [35] | |||||
| 1974 | Stephen Giles | Patrick Hendzell (2) | Susan Keavy | Christopher Woodhouse (3) | [35] | |||||
| 1975 | Paul Chandler | Patrick Hendzell (3) | Joanna Evans (1) | Paul Brammer | [35] | |||||
| 1976 | George Duckett | Stephen Gyde (1) | Joanna Evans (2) | Paul Williams | [35] | |||||
| 1977 | Tony Hendzell | David Lawlor | Megan Morris | Rory Martin | [35] | |||||
| 1978 | Tony Hendzell | John Lowe | Janice McGrory | Stephen Gyde (2) | [35] | |||||
| 1979 | Stephen Gyde (3) | Stephen Gyde (4) | Candice Phillips | Tony Hendzell | [35] | |||||
| 1980 | Stephen Gyde (5) | Stephen Gyde (6) | Mandy Day | Stephen Gyde (7) | [35] | |||||
| 1981 | Kevin Gyde (1) | Kevin Gyde (2) | Amanda Turner (1) | Andy Fuller | [35] | |||||
| 1982 | Stephen Gyde (8) | Stephen Gyde (9) | Amanda Turner (2) | Kevin Gyde (3) | [35] | |||||
| 1983 | Colin Hill | Stephen Gyde (10) | Amanda Turner (3) | 'Digger' Gardener | Amanda Turner ties the women's record of 3 wins[35] | |||||
| 1984 | Stephen Gyde (11) | Steven Brain (1) | Claudia Dart | Ian Campbell | [35] | |||||
| 1985 | Stephen Gyde (12) | Stephen Gyde (13) | Leticia Burns (1) | Costas Logothetis | [35][36] | |||||
| 1986 | Steven Brain (2) | Steven Brain (3) | Leticia Burns (2) | Stephen Gyde (14) | [35][36] | |||||
| 1987 | Steven Brain (4) | Stephen Gyde (15) | Rebecca Haines (1) | Steven Brain (5) | [36] | |||||
| 1988 | Stephen Gyde (16) | Stephen Gyde (17) | Rebecca Haines (2) | Steven Brain (6) | [36] | |||||
| 1989 | Paul Andrews | Lawrence Farlow | Kathleen Underwood | Julian Pritchard | [35] | |||||
| 1990 | Steven Brain (7) | Stephen Gyde (18) | Jacqueline McGinn | Steven Brain (8) | [36] | |||||
| 1991 | Stephen Gyde (19) | Stephen Gyde (20) | Christie Sweeney | Stephen Gyde (21) | Stephen Gyde retires with an all-time record of 21 wins[35][36] | |||||
| 1992 | Terry Sawczuk | Stuart Heggs | Rob Preece (1) | Star Royles | [35] | |||||
| 1993 | Rob Preece (2) | Rob Preece (3) | Jamie Barnes | Andrew Deveson (1) | [35] | |||||
| 1994 | Rob Preece (4) | Andrew Deveson (2) | Star Royles | Craig Carter (1) | [35] | |||||
| 1995 | Stephen Brain (9) | Jonathan Smith | Claire Carter | Darren Yates | [36][37] | |||||
| 1996 | Steven Brain (10) | Harry Hancy | Marie Andow | John Shelton | [35] | |||||
| 1997 | Steven Brain (11) | Steven Brain (12) | Tina Rimmer | Craig Carter (2) | [38][39] | |||||
| 1998 | Peter Astman | Amelia Hardwick | Two races cancelled for safety due to 33 injuries the previous year[40] | |||||||
| 1999 | Steven Brain (13) | Steven Brain (14) | Helen Thorpe | Steven Brain (15) | [41] | |||||
| 2000 | Steven Brain (16) | Steven Brain (17) | Kirby Shepherd | Craig Brown (1) | [42] | |||||
| 2001 | Event cancelled due to the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak. Cheese still rolled to maintain tradition[43] | |||||||||
| 2002 | Simon Fowler | Craig Brown (2) | Saskia Thomas | Alan Barth | Event took place on Tuesday due to Queen's Jubilee celebrations[35][44] | |||||
| 2003 | Event cancelled due to volunteer safety team being diverted to assist in the aftermath of the 2003 Boumerdès earthquake. Cheese still rolled to maintain tradition.[45] | |||||||||
| 2004 | Padam Shreer  |
Marc Ellis  |
Dionne Carter (1) |
Aaron Walden (1)  |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Padam Shreer becomes the first winner from Asia. Marc Ellis and Dionne Carter become the first winners from Oceania[46][47] | ||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| 2005 | Jason Crowther (1) |
Chris Anderson (1) |
Dionne Carter (2) |
Aaron Walden (2) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | .[2][48] Adam Dunsford wins "uphill open race". | ||
| Chris Calver-Jones | Adam Dunsford | |||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Hannah Jones | ||||||||||
| 2006 | Jason Crowther (2) |
Craig Fairley (1) |
Dionne Carter (3) |
Chris Anderson (2) |
Andrew Brewin [b] |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Dionne Carter ties the women's record of 3 wins.[49] | |
| Josh Prike | Julian Gray | |||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Kelley Beckett | Ruth Bradbrook | |||||||||
| 2007 | Jason Crowther (3) |
Aaron Walden (3) |
Jemima Bullock |
Alan Morris |
Chris Anderson (3) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | [50][51] | |
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| 2008 | Chris Anderson (4) |
Peter Mackenzie-Shaw |
Flo Early (1) |
Craig Fairley (2) |
Wade Sansom |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | [52] | |
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| 2009 | Chris Anderson (5) |
Scott Bevan |
Michelle Kokiri-Gisbon |
Chris Anderson (6) |
Josh Geitz  |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | [53] | |
| Jason Baugh | Toby Payton | |||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Maddie Morris | Jessica Ledger | |||||||||
| 2010 | Chris Anderson (7) |
Craig Fairley (3) |
Tanya Silverman |
Chris Anderson (8) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | [54] | ||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| 2011 | Chris Anderson (9) |
Chris Anderson (10) |
Jo Guest |
Chris Anderson (11) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | [55] | ||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| 2012 | Chris Anderson (12) |
Chris Anderson (13) |
Lucy Townsend (1) |
Craig Fairley (4) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | [56] | ||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| 2013 | Kenny Rackers  |
Keleb Stalder |
Lucy Townsend (2) |
Ryan Fairley (1) |
Tomoaki Tanaka  |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Kenny Rackers becomes the first winner from North America.[30][57][3] | |
| Kenny Rackers [58] | ||||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| 2014 | Joshua Shepherd (1) |
Ryan Fairley (2) |
Lucy Townsend (3) |
Sheldon Ronald |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Lucy Townsend ties the women's record of 3 wins.[59][60] Sam Parrant wins "mixed, open uphill" race. Kaspar Wickens-Shaw wins "boys 14 and under" uphill race. Mollie D’Arcy Rice wins "girls 14 and under" race. | ||
| Kaspar Wickens-Shaw (1) [61] |
Sam Parrant[62] | |||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Mollie D’Arcy Rice | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Chris Anderson (14) |
Ryan Fairley (3) |
Keavy Morgan (1) |
Chris Anderson (15) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | .[61] Kaspar Wickens-Shaw wins "boys 14 and under" uphill race. Kacie Anderson wins "girls 14 and under" uphill race. | ||
| Kaspar Wickens-Shaw (2) |
||||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Kacie Anderson (1) [63] |
||||||||||
| 2016 | Chris Anderson (16) |
Chris Anderson (17) |
Flo Early (2) |
Ryan Fairley (4) [64] |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | [65][66] | ||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| 2017 | Chris Anderson (18) |
Chris Anderson (19) |
Keavy Morgan (2) |
Chris Anderson (20) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | [67] | ||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Kacie Anderson (2)[68] | ||||||||||
| 2018 | Chris Anderson (21) |
Christopher Parperis |
Flo Early (3) |
Chris Anderson (22) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Chris Anderson sets all-time record of 22 wins[69]
Flo Early ties the women's record of 3 wins | ||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Leilani Ryder (1)[70] | Amy Hill | |||||||||
| 2019 | Max McDougall [71] |
Ryan Fairley (5) |
Flo Early (4) |
Mark Kit  |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Flo Early sets a new women's record of 4 wins[72] | ||
| Jacob Perkins[73] | ||||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Leilani Ryder (2)[74] | Millie Elliot[75] | |||||||||
| 2020 | Event cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Cheese still rolled to maintain tradition.[24] | |||||||||
| 2021 | Event cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Cheese still rolled to maintain tradition.[76] | |||||||||
| 2022 | Chris Anderson (23) |
Jamie Evans |
Abby Lampe (1)[77] |
Robbe Gabriels  / Amr El Shourbagy  (joint winners) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Chris Anderson retires with an all-time record of 23 wins[4] Robbe Gabriels becomes the first winner from Continental Europe. Amr El Shourbagy becomes the first winner from Africa. | ||
| Alfie Townsend (1)[78] | ||||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Leilani Ryder (3) | ||||||||||
| 2023 | Matt Crolla |
Cooper Cummings |
Delaney Irving |
Ryoya Minami |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Cooper Cummings sets record for fastest race time at 13 seconds[25][34][79] | ||
| Riley Parker | Rocco Cove[80] | Elliot | ||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Evie | Leilani Ryder (4) | Megan | ||||||||
| 2024 | Tom Kopke (1)  |
Dylan Twiss |
Abby Lampe (2) |
Joshua Shepherd (2) |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Tom Kopke first person to win from Germany. As a youtuber, goes by Tooleko.[81] | ||
| Louie Baker (1)[82] | Liam Daunter | |||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Orion Ryder | Leilani Ryder (5)[83] | |||||||||
| 2025 | Tom Kopke (2) |
Luke Preece |
Ava Sender Logan |
Byron Smith |
Boys' | Boys' | Men's | Luke Preece (also reported as Luke Briggs) is the son of four-time winner Rob Preece.[84][85][86] | ||
| Louie Baker (2) | Alfie Townsend (2) | |||||||||
| Girls' | Girls' | Women's | ||||||||
| Sadie[87] | Leilani Ryder (6) | Ariel Dempsey [88] | ||||||||
Note: All competitors before 2004 were British so a nationality flag is omitted.
Multiple winners
| Men’s Champion | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Anderson | 23 | 2005–2022 |
| Stephen Gyde[36][89] | 21 | 1976–1991 |
| Steven Brain[36][90][91] | 17 | 1984–2000 |
| Islwyn "Izzy" John[92] | 12 | 1957–1964 |
| Hugh Atkinson[1][35] | 5 | 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 |
| Ryan Fairley | 5 | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 |
| Craig Fairley | 4 | 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
| Richard Giles[35] | 4 | 1969, 1969, 1970, 1970 |
| Paul Quarry[35] | 4 | 1961, 1961, 1962, 1962 |
| Roger Windo[35] | 4 | 1962, 1962, 1963, 1964 |
| Jason Crowther | 3 | 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| Raymond Giles[35] | 3 | 1965, 1966, 1966 |
| Kevin Gyde[35] | 3 | 1981, 1981, 1982 |
| Patrick Hendzell[35] | 3 | 1973, 1974, 1975 |
| Tony Hendzell[35] | 3 | 1977, 1978, 1979 |
| Tom Holliday[35] | 3 | 1951, 1952, 1953 |
| Steve Lott[35] | 3 | 1971, 1972, 1972 |
| Roy Mitchell[35] | 3 | 1948, 1948, 1949 |
| Michael Price[35] | 3 | 1954, 1955, 1956 |
| Aaron Walden | 3 | 2004, 2005, 2007 |
| Clive Whittaker[35] | 3 | 1963, 1964, 1965 |
| Christopher Woodhouse[35] | 3 | 1972, 1973, 1974 |
| Craig Brown[36] | 2 | 2000, 2002 |
| Craig Carter[35] | 2 | 1994, 1997 |
| Peter Davis[35] | 2 | 1970, 1971 |
| Andrew Deveson[35] | 2 | 1993, 1994 |
| Eric Huckins[35] | 2 | 1967, 1968 |
| Tom Kopke[85] | 2 | 2024, 2025 |
| Bernard Morgan[35] | 2 | 1949, 1950 |
| Star Royles[35] | 2 | 1992, 1994 |
| Joshua Shepherd[82] | 2 | 2014, 2024 |
| Women’s Champion | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Flo Early | 4 | 2008, 2016, 2018, 2019 |
| Dionne Carter | 3 | 2004, 2005, 2006 |
| Rosemary Cooke[35] | 3 | 1953, 1955, 1956 |
| Lucy Townsend | 3 | 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| Amanda Turner[35] | 3 | 1981, 1982, 1983 |
| Diane Bowers[35] | 2 | 1967, 1969 |
| Lynda Burnell[35] | 2 | 1970, 1971 |
| Leticia Burns[35] | 2 | 1985, 1986 |
| Joanna Evans[35] | 2 | 1975, 1976 |
| Rebecca Haines[36] | 2 | 1987, 1988 |
| Deborah Harwood[35] | 2 | 1972, 1973 |
| Abby Lampe[82] | 2 | 2022, 2024 |
| Keavy Morgan | 2 | 2015, 2017 |
| Children's Uphill Champion | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Leilani Ryder | 6 | 2018, 2019, 2022–2025 |
| Kacie Anderson | 2 | 2015, 2017 |
| Louie Baker | 2 | 2024, 2025 |
| Alfie Townsend | 2 | 2022, 2025 |
| Kaspar Wickens-Shaw | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
Similar event
Cheese-rolling in popular culture
- 1948: Cheese Rolling on Cooper's Hill, a painting by Charles March Gere, is part of the Museum of Gloucester collection, and depicts the event.[1]
.jpg)
- Early 1970s: The New Inn pub was renamed 'The Cheese Rollers Bar & Restaurant' in the early 1970s.[94] Located in the neighbouring village of Shurdington, it is named after the event, and has a collection of previous cheese casings along with photos and articles about the event.[94]
- 2005: A children's computer game from Neopets named "Cheeseroller", involves different varieties of outlandish cheeses, rolled down a 120-metre hill in under 60 seconds, negotiating obstacles on route. Points are awarded for grade of cheese difficulty and speed of descent.[95]
- 2006: The comedian Bridget Christie performed a show about cheese-rolling at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; this was inspired by having seen the Cooper's Hill event as a child.[96]
- 2008: Cheese rolling was featured in the first episode of the UK television channel Five series: Rory & Paddy's Great British Adventure, broadcast on 13 August 2008, and was described as "the grandaddy of weird sports" by the titular Rory McGrath and Paddy McGuinness.[52]
- 2018: The contest was the subject of the BBC One programme The Great Cheese Chase.[97] The contest was part of the German reality show Joko gegen Klaas - Das Duell um die Welt, where German former footballer Thorsten Legat was supposed to participate, but at the end refused to do so.[98]
- 2019: Let's Roll is a short film directed by Chris Thomas[99] about a teenage girl Antonia (Amy Bowden) attempting to emulate her brother's successes in the cheese rolling. The film was screened at BAFTA-qualifying film festivals: Norwich and Edinburgh.[100][101]
- 2019: Royal Mail issue a collectable stamps edition of UK Weird and Wonderful Customs which includes Bog snorkelling at Llanwrtyd Wells, World Gurning Championship at Egremont, Up Helly Aa in Lerwick, Burning the Clocks in Brighton, 'Obby 'Oss festival in Padstow, Samhain Celtic festival (Halloween) at Derry, Horn Dance at Abbots Bromley and Cheese-Rolling at Cooper's Hill.[102][103]
- 2020: Netflix released a documentary We are the Champions, which covers six bizarre events and competitions from across the world, starting with Cheese-Rolling at Cooper's Hill. The Cheese-Rolling follows Flo Early in her preparations for 2019 and her attempt to win the ladies' race for the fourth time.[104]
- 2021: The game Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a special item called Double Gloucester cheese that is only available from 22 May to 31 May, the period when this event takes place.[105]
- 2023: The Longest Johns and El Pony Pisador released a joint album "The Longest Pony" which included "Wheels of Glory" as the opening track.[106] This led to the band's, on their February 2025 Longest Pony tour, bringing along a wheel of Double Gloucester.[107]
- 2025: A multiplayer PC game titled Cheese Rolling was released on Steam. Players control ragdoll medieval characters competing to catch a cheese wheel rolling down various steep slopes loosely modeled after Cooper's Hill. it was released on 20th of August, 2025, by developer The Interviewed.[108]
See also
Notes
- The spring bank holiday was moved to 2 June, due to the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[25]
- Fifth race added for more competitors.
