Rushbearing delights

CAN there be anything more quaint and English than a rushbearing festival in a Lake District village? These events began when the churches had mud floors and, once a year, the parishioners would bring in new rushes to put on the floor. Today, a few Lake District villages maintain the tradition even though the floors have long since been turned to concrete or tiles. The rushes and other flower arrangements are paraded around the streets before being blessed at a church service. And in the afternoon there are sports and treats such as gingerbread for the children. The one pictured here is Ambleside which always takes place on the first Saturday in July. You can catch the Grasmere one on July 16 - it starts at 2.30pm in the centre of the village.