Morris dancing is believed to be based upon an ancient tradition to encourage healthy livestock and bumper crops. It has elements of circle dancing, resurrection and death and ritual combat deriving from our earliest pagan ancestors. A trio from the Chalice Morris Men of Brent Knoll arrived bright and early one March morning to perform the necessary rites with one particularly big cheese amongst their number. The most important man in the world of Morris lives across the county border in Weston-super-Mare. Bob Cross is the Squire of the Morris Ring - the international association that links Morris clubs from across the world - and was delighted to lead the dance.
 | | An allotment dance was performed |
"Traditionally, Morris dances were performed to celebrate the dark going, the light coming and the crops beginning to grow so this allotment dance certainly seems appropriate," he said. Bob was joined by his son Paul, the Bagman of the Chalice Morris Men and their musician Ken Wilson. Ken sported a tall hat decorated with flowers, feathers and coloured. Wearing such headgear is a privilege only afforded to the musician of the Chalice troupe and is a tribute to the wearer's life in morris dancing as Ken boasted badges from many of the clubs he had danced with across Europe. To mark the occasion of the first sowing of seed on the Radio Bristol allotment, a traditional bean-setting dance was performed complete with sticks and bells to encourage new life in the 'Sutton' broad beans as they entered the Fishponds soil. Morris lore has it that the higher the dancers jump, the higher the crops will grow but sadly even the athletic Morris Men couldn't scale the heights required for prize-winning runner beans. Watch this space..... | 
