DARTMOOR Border Morris will be dancing as the sun rises on Mayday morning next week.

The Meavy-based side will be seen dancing the moment the sun rises above South Hessary Tor— expected at around 5.36am — rejoicing the moment the ‘spirit of summer arrives’. The dancers will be performing in one of the two car parks below Leeden Tor, along with Lodestone Border Morris, on the Dousland to Princetown Road.

With the start of the summer period, Dartmoor Border Morris will be busy dancing at pubs across the South West every Wednesday, doing dances inspired by the old mill of Lapford, the Beardown Man on Devil Tor and Cuckoo’s nest, of which there are many spread over Dartmoor.

The side is keen to highlight that Morris dancing is an all year event, not just taking place in the summer time.

Bagman Treggie said: ‘We have been busy over the winter months, while quietly squirrelled away in our practice hall. Since the end of the last dance season in September, we organised and ran the Pudsey Day of Morris in Tavistock, with the help of ten other invited Morris sides, where despite the freezing cold November weather, we collectively raised £1,320 for Children in Need, just by dancing for six hours.’

The side was also seen dancing on the Plymouth Barbican with other sides to celebrate the mid winter solstice and again on Boxing Day, outside their local pub, The Royal Oak at Meavy, collecting money for their chosen charity Global Action Nepal.

Treggie added: ‘To top all this, our small side from Meavy actually appeared on Channel 4 on Christmas Day in a commercial with our sponsor The Black Farmer Company, highlighting “Hope for Tomorrow”, a small cancer research charity that Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones has been inspired by. You may also have seen our image on bus stops around the South West, making Morris dancing more appealing to everyone.

‘Along with the Bere Ferrers apple day back in October, we were involved with three different wassails in January. You may have heard Kath and Mark, both Dartmoor Border Morris members, actually appearing, in full Morris kit complete with sticks and bells, on the BBC Radio Devon’s Maggy Whitehouse programme to discuss why wassailing is high on the agenda with Morris sides. The side also did the usual, traditional Christmas Mummers play at Buckland Abbey, where despite the cold and the main house being closed, over 100 people still cheered when the doctor brought Sir Francis Drake back to life with his infamous bottle of potion in the Great Barn.’

Dartmoor Border Morris has been invited back to the BBC Radio Devon studios on Sunday, April 30 to talk to Maggy Whitehouse about why they will be up at the crack of dawn on mayday morning.

Anyone is welcome to join the side. For more information, visit www.dartmoorbordermorris.com