The annual cheese-rolling festival at Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester, England has been held since at least the early nineteenth century but possibly dates back six hundred years or more. Competitors race down a hill chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester Cheese, a local delicacy. The first person to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese.
Cheese-rolling might sound like a fairly benign pastime, but injuries are common. In 2023, six competitors were injured so badly they had to be transported to hospital by ambulance and a competitor in the woman’s event finished unconscious and only learned of her victory when she woke up under medical treatment!
Photo Source: https://www.mashed.com/889886/why-britains-cheese-rolling-contest-just-made-history/
