Running up a steep hill carrying a large sack of wool may not seem the most relaxing way to spend a Bank Holiday afternoon, but every year in Tetbury dozens of men and women do just that.

 

Woolsack Day has been an annual event in Tetbury for centuries, and is the final legacy of the town's once-lucrative wool trade.  

 

It is thought that the event began (as is often the way with these things) when some local men, perhaps slightly inebriated, decided to impress the ladies with their strength and athleticism.