Britain is currently being hit by heavy rain and snow, causing huge disruption across the country. One of the victims to this current bout of unseasonal weather is sadly the World Pooh Sticks Championship. The event which was due to take place this Sunday has had to be cancelled because the river will be too dangerous.
The World Pooh Sticks Championships, which is held at Little Wittenham each March, is organised by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires' and is their main event. Countryfile Magazine Awards 2012 crowned it ‘Britain’s Favourite Quirky Event’
The competition attracts around 1,300 visitors each year to Day’s Lock on the Thames. Pooh Sticks is a sport first mentioned in The House at Pooh Corner, a Winnie-the-Pooh book by A. A. Milne. It is a simple sport which may be played on any bridge over running water; each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream side is the winner. The annual World Pooh Sticks Championships have been held at Day's Lock since 1984.
However, this weekend the Environment Agency has put up red warning signs meaning that boat users may not use the river, which means that organisers can no longer deploy the safety boats which Environment Agency requires for the event to be safe.
The Rotary Club of Oxford Spires, which organises the event, has said it hopes to rearrange for September. So do get your sticks ready for then!! For more information, do check out their website: http://www.pooh-sticks.com
The World Pooh Sticks Championships, which is held at Little Wittenham each March, is organised by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires' and is their main event. Countryfile Magazine Awards 2012 crowned it ‘Britain’s Favourite Quirky Event’
The competition attracts around 1,300 visitors each year to Day’s Lock on the Thames. Pooh Sticks is a sport first mentioned in The House at Pooh Corner, a Winnie-the-Pooh book by A. A. Milne. It is a simple sport which may be played on any bridge over running water; each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream side is the winner. The annual World Pooh Sticks Championships have been held at Day's Lock since 1984.
However, this weekend the Environment Agency has put up red warning signs meaning that boat users may not use the river, which means that organisers can no longer deploy the safety boats which Environment Agency requires for the event to be safe.
The Rotary Club of Oxford Spires, which organises the event, has said it hopes to rearrange for September. So do get your sticks ready for then!! For more information, do check out their website: http://www.pooh-sticks.com
