This is one of many films made by amateur filmmaker Ken Leckenby, a member of the Mercury Movie Makers Cine Club of Leeds who also branched out to make his own films, such as the Out and About series of documentaries. As with other films that Ken made, this film features an informative and often humorous commentary. For more on the Mercury Movie Makers see the context for A Vision Fulfilled (1984). The film shows the summer fete at Arncliffe, the largest of four settlements in Littondale and...

This is one of many films made by amateur filmmaker Ken Leckenby, a member of the Mercury Movie Makers Cine Club of Leeds who also branched out to make his own films, such as the Out and About series of documentaries. As with other films that Ken made, this film features an informative and often humorous commentary. For more on the Mercury Movie Makers see the context for A Vision Fulfilled (1984).

The film shows the summer fete at Arncliffe, the largest of four settlements in Littondale and the inspiration behind Charles Kingsley’s didactic children’s story The Water Babies, published in 1863. Later, Arncliffe became known as the original home for the set of the Yorkshire-based soap opera Emmerdale Farm, a role which it fulfilled from 1972 until 1976. The programme was then re-located to Esholt, where it remained over the course of twenty years until its latest move to Harewood House. A film of the transformation that took place in changing From Esholt to Beckindale, once again produced by Ken Leckenby, can also be seen on the YFA website.

One interesting feature of the film is the demonstration of Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling, also known as Cumbrian wrestling. Due to its similarity to an Icelandic form of wrestling known as Glima, the sport is believed to have arrived with the Viking invasion. Each bout is decided on a best-of-three principle, with the loser being the first to touch the ground or lose hold. A number of different weight divisions are competed, with wrestlers able to compete in their own class as well as any higher weight category.

The pinnacle of the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling year is the Grasmere Show, an annual celebration of Lakeland Sports that has taken place on August Bank Holiday since its inauguration in 1852. In keeping with historical practice, the traditional uniform of long johns, velvet trunks and vest is still very much a part of the sport and can be seen on display in the film. Even today at Grasmere, the wrestling events are preceded by a costume competition rewarding the best embroidery and efforts at material personalisation. It was not until 2007 that the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Association - formed in 1906 to clarify the rules of the sport - agreed to let competitors wear athletic apparel of their own choosing.

As with many localised sports, Cumbrian wrestling success seems to have often been passed down through generations, such as that among the Harrington, Brocklebank and Fox families. The two wrestlers named in the film, Billy Bland and his brother John, were also part of something of a wrestling dynasty. Their father Gilpin Bland, who would later become a judge at the Show, won the 11-stone Grasmere Championships on six occasions between 1919 and 1938. On one occasion, Gilpin won the competition despite having retired three years earlier and unaware that he had even been entered into the Grasmere Show. Between them, Gilpin and his five sons amassed a total of 25 World Championships and a further 23 victories at Grasmere.

Besides wrestling, the film also features a children’s race on space hoppers, at the height of their popularity in the 1970s. The space hopper was invented by an Italian, Aquilino Cosani, in 1968, before being introduced into the UK a year later under the famous Mettoy brand name. Although perhaps not the most efficient method of transport, the space hopper achieved great commercial success, with the manufacturer promising “hours of fun for girls and boys”. Now seen as classic “1970s retro”, the space hopper appears to have made a resurgence and has even been used in a multitude of record-breaking attempts. Serial world-record chaser Ashrita Furman currently holds (as of 2012) the fastest 100m hop, completing the course in 30.2 seconds, whilst over 2500 people in the Netherlands have been inducted into the Guinness Book of Records for their valiant efforts in simultaneous bouncing.

Some of the costumes worn by the children also give an insight into the fads and fashions of the day, including a girl dressed as Nadia Comaneci, who had only just become the first gymnast ever to receive a “perfect 10” score at the Montreal Olympics. Perhaps the most deserving winner of the competition though would have been the boy dressed as Kojak, the lollipop-wielding detective played by Telly Savalas between 1973 and 1978. It seems unlikely that he had much of a say in his choice of costume!

References

For more information on the sport of Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling, see:

http://www.cumberland-westmorland-wrestling-association.com/

Robson, R., Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling – A Documentary History (1999)