THE reluctant signs of summer were celebrated on Saturday, as dancers from across the Westcountry donned their bats bells, slings and sticks for this year’s Green Man Festival in Bovey Tracey.
‘We were very lucky with the weather. I woke up and looked out the window thinking that was a lovely surprise,’ said Rob Patmore, organiser and dancer for the Grimspound Border Morris dancers.
‘May Day is a big thing for us Morris Dancing sides. It’s where we all go out and celebrate the beginning of our season so to speak. The dancing season then goes all throughout the summer.’
After seven years in the town, the Green Man Festival has become somewhat of an institution in Bovey. Rob explained: ‘We originated it down in Bovey because we used to practice there and decided to give something back to the town. We invited Morris Dancers to come down and have a day of dancing, We call it the Green Man Festival. It really is a celebration of the coming of summer.
‘We started there, then the councils got on board, saw that it’s popular and they’ve been fantastic ever since. We try to engage various parts of the community.’
The event kicked off at 10, with a procession of all the dancers through the high street.
The dancers then split off into different parts of the town with three or four sides together.
They proceeded to dance throughout the day, culminating with everyone coming together to dance the ‘Tinners Rabbit’, a dance originally created by the Grimspound side, many moons ago.
Rob added: ‘It’s fantastic. I think there was 15 sides this year from Cornwall, all over Devon. There were all age ranges, some half the age of us! It’s lovely, a really nice community.
‘All the sides get on well, but there’s a pleasant oneupmanship, but it’s so friendly.
‘Thanks to the council for supporting us and helping sort everything, particularly Owen Kelly. Thanks to the sides that came along and worked hard to dance all day.
‘And lastly, a big thanks to Bovey. People come out to support us and enjoy the event so that’s great as well.’
‘We’ve got a full season coming up, with events virtually every weekend. Keep an eye out for us and all the other sides.’