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How it all started
Founded in 1980 and held in the shadow of the gracious 12th century Minster Church of St Cuthburga, the annual event of Traditional Folk Dance, English and Celtic Music & Song has become the focal point for the largest gathering of dance teams and musicians in the South of England. For the old town of Wimborne Minster , the festival is considered by many to be the major event of the year and is highly regarded nationally as one of the largest events of its kind in the country.
This very colourful festival started as a one day event and such was its success that plans for a bigger event soon followed. Based around the town centre streets and local venues the festival has its own very unique atmosphere regularly attracting many thousands of visitors from throughout the UK and abroad, proving that even in this day and age an event of this kind based on tradition can attract crowds of over 30,000 people and has stood the test of time.
Wimborne and the Morris
The Morris in Dorset (circa 1950'ish) and in particular Wimborne. Bourne River Morrismen have for many years visited Chideok, a small village on the main A35 lying between Bridport and Honiton, in late March to dance at Miss Mayne's Ceilidh.
Miss Mayne was for many years associated with the long ago disbanded Chideok Morrismen. This team were unique in that they wore Bowler hats when they danced. When the team disbanded, Miss Mayne provided Bourne River Morris with their first set of bowlers and Bourne River in turn have carried on the tradition and are still one of a very few sides that wear this kind of hat .
Recently photographs of Chideok Morris cam to light when Bourne River’s musician Gary Williams and Alf Woodall were given the opportunity to borrow a photograph album from relatives of a close friend of Miss Mayne’s who had recently passed away.
