| Where: | Rearsby, Leicestershire at Brookside by the Seven Arch footbridge |
| When: | 26 December |
| Time: | 10 am onwards |
Started well over half a century ago, the annual Tug of War on Boxing Day has become a firm favourite in the local calendar of Rearsby in Leicestershire, and spectators have all the fun of watching teams try to pull each other towards the brook flowing through the village. The event began as a friendly contest between supporters of rival pubs, the Wheel and the Horse and Groom, and now has evolved into a knockout team competition, with a traditional best-of-three pulls between the rival tuggers. Each heat starts with a coin toss to decide on which side of the water the teams must begin, and the number of heats is determined by the number of registered teams on the day. There are tugs for children and for ladies as well as the open competition, and after the medals are awarded to the winners there’s also a hotly contested Duck Race, which has some very attractive prizes donated by local businesses. The numbered yellow ducks are poured over the parapet of the pretty seven-arched footbridge and must negotiate hazards such as clumps of weeds along the watercourse to the finishing line.
Helpful Hints
It’s always on 26th December regardless of the day of the week it falls upon. The tugs of war lasted just over an hour when we visited, followed by the Duck Race. The timings will vary depending on the number of tuggers and how evenly matched the teams are!
Teams must register at the gazebo on the farm side of the bridge. Refreshments including hot chocolate are available from a stall near the Registration gazebo.
Click here for the event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rearsbytugofwar
All the rules and registration forms may be found here: https://linktr.ee/rearsbytow
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