Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake

Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake

Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in England. Participants race down the 200-yard-long hill after a round of Double Gloucester cheese is sent rolling down it. The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese.

About Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake in brief

Summary Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and WakeCooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester in England. Participants race down the 200-yard-long hill after a round of Double Gloucester cheese is sent rolling down it. The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese. The event is traditional and takes its name from the steep hill on which it occurs. In 1993, fifteen people were injured, four seriously, chasing cheeses down the one-in-three hill. In 2009, it was cancelled due to concerns over health and safety. In 2010, a group of journalists and local residents threw a smaller version, in keeping with tradition, to keep grazing rights. In 2013, a foam replica replaced the cheese for reasons of safety.

The cheese currently in the event is 7–9 pounds made in Gloucester, a hard cheese traditionally made in a circular shape. Each year, the event becomes more and more popular, with contestants coming from all across the world to compete, or even simply to watch. The nearest pubs to the event are The Cross Hands and The Victoria, both of which are in Brockworth, which competitors frequent for some pre-event Dutch courage or discussion of tactics and after the event for convalescence. The Cheese Rollers pub in the nearby village of Shurdington, about 3 miles from Cooper’s Hill, takes itsname from the event. The current cheese supplier is local cheesemaker Diana Smart, who has supplied the cheese since 1988.