On a beautiful Autumn day AVMM were proud to take part in this showcase of the various clubs, businesses and traditions of which Adderbury can be justifiably proud. David Snell produced a fantastic display featuring many memorable photographs of the side performing, practising and socialising together, ranging through time from the pre WW1 side up to this summer’s tour of the Somme and Passchendale war memorials. The display placed, in an ideal location outside The Bell, attracted many favourable comments from visitors and locals. A good turn out of eleven dancers including our three youngest members, two hobby horses and three musicians performed outside The Bell and then moved on to The Coach and Horses for our second set. In total we danced 19 of our dances, with only Brighton Camp, our audience participation number, being repeated. Dancing was of a high standard with Happy Man, Postman’s Knock and Troy and Ryan’s Jockey to the Fair being particularly impressive. Four promising potential new recruits, including some whom had recently moved into the village, expressed a firm interest in joining us for the 2019 practice season. When asked if he had seen Cotswold Morris dancing before, one said, “Yes, but not as good as this.”

I am very grateful to all who took part in what was a joyous celebration of all that we love about our unique tradition.

Squire John Ekers

AVMM performed two long sets at Wardington Village Fete on Saturday 1 September and were warmly received by an appreciative crowd – especially when more than half a dozen children joined us for an audience participation version of Shepherd’s Hey. But it wasn’t just enthusiastic youngsters, bounding out from the crowd came Wardington’s oldest resident – Evelyn Phillips, aged 100! Evelyn told us that she is a lifelong dancer and she immediately picked-up the movements and steps, dancing near to the youngest member of her family aged 2. With five generations of the Phillips family present and an age gap of 98 years between the youngest and most senior dancers, this is a perfect example of the universal appeal of dance! At the conclusion of the event, the organiser immediately re-booked us for next year’s Fete and we’ll hope that Evelyn can join us then too.

We are proud of the fact that we now have a number of keen young Morris dancers in the side and in seven year old Dylan, probably the youngest dancer in the country to know and be able to perform a respectable version of all the Adderbury dances as performed by AVMM.