Morris Men celebrate their 45th anniversary

THELWALL Morris Men celebrated their 45th anniversary with a trip to the Netherlands to attend Helmond Morris Men’s meeting of the Morris Ring.
They were joined by other Morris Dancing teams from Saddleworth, Exeter, Bourne River, Yateley, Greensleeves, Southport, Utrecht and their hosts in  Helmond.
Thelwall Morris Men’s current team share more than 300 years of dancing or playing for the group – or “side” as they are known as.
They originated within a folk club based at the Pickering Arms in Thelwall.
In 1973 a group of regulars, enthused by seeing a team at a folk festival at Keele University, placed a small advertisement in a folk review magazine for a foreman. Chris Maple, then newly arrived in the North West, had danced with Blackmoor Morris Men and helped found Chelmsford Morris Men. He applied for the “job” and became the first foreman and squire.
Although called Thelwall Morris Men, the “side” sometimes dance as Lymm Morris Men and, in fact, they have never had more than one member actually living in Thelwall at any one time.
The Morris Ring is one of the national organisations promoting the traditional dances of England in this country and abroad.