Episode 7 - Capering with the Whittlesey Straw Bear

Ruth and Chris have been on a road trip! Each year the Cambridgeshire town of Whittlesey brings forth the straw bear, and this year we were there to see it. In this episode we learn about the history and revival of the Straw Bear Festival, and the central importance of dancing, burning, possibly fighting, and definitely drinking to this tradition. Jo and Jake hear all about it, and you shall too. Disclaimer: there will be no beard of bees.

Visit the Straw Bear website to see some photos from the current festival and the archives.

You can download the transcript of Brian Kell’s interview with Kevin Chambers from 2017, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.