ONE of the oldest rushbearing processions is returning after two years of the pandemic this Saturday 9 July. 

Although Grasmere did hold a rushbearing celebration on Zoom last year, this will be the first it will be face-to-face. 

Grasmere rushbearing in its present form has run since the 1840s, but the celebration dates back to at least medieval times. Grasmere claims that it is the only place to have maintained the tradition every year since it started.

Will Clark, the county councillor for the Lakes said: "It is very traditional festival opportunity. It was good over the pandemic to just keep people interested, we decorated the shop windows for last year, something that we are going to do again. 

"It think it is great just to bring everybody back together hopefully it will be a good day whatever the weather because it didn't seem possible last year."

Rushbearing is when the children of the village take rushes to lay on the church floor. Before stone flags, it would act as a carpet and as insulation. 

In Grasmere, the children receive gingerbread for carrying the rushes through the village. The procession has become a yearly tourist attraction for spectators.