Bushra Griffith
The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling is a world-famous annual event that attracts thousands of spectators and competitors from all over the world. It is held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, Brockworth, near Gloucester, England. Participants race down a 200-yard (180-metre) steep hill chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. The event has a long tradition, believed to be at least 600 years old, but the first written evidence of it was found in a message to the Gloucester town crier in 1826. While there are no known deaths associated with the event, there have been several injuries reported over the years, including broken bones. In 2025, a competitor was airlifted to the hospital after being injured during the race.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of people hurt | 25 |
| Number of spectators hurt | 12 |
| Number of people taken to hospital | 2 |
| Number of injuries in 1993 | 15 |
| Number of serious injuries in 1993 | 4 |
| Number of injuries in 2025 | 1 |
| Number of deaths | 0 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- Steep slope: The 200m-long hill has a 50% gradient, causing competitors to tumble and somersault
- High speeds: The cheese reaches speeds of 70-80mph, enough to knock over spectators.
- Safety concerns: There is no official organising body, and emergency services have warned of the risk of a 'mass casualty incident'.
- Injuries: 25 people were hurt in 2025, with two hospitalised.
- No deaths: Despite the injuries, there are no known fatalities from the event
Steep slope: The 200m-long hill has a 50% gradient, causing competitors to tumble and somersault
The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event is an annual affair that attracts thousands of spectators and competitors from across the globe to Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, near Gloucester. The event, which has no official organising body, involves participants racing downhill after a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. The 200-yard 180-metre hill has a slope of around 50% (26.6 degrees), making it the steepest slope in Gloucestershire.
Due to the steepness of the slope, competitors rarely stay on their feet and often tumble, somersault, and slide their way down the hill. The cheese, with a brief head start, can reach breakneck speeds of up to 80 mph, making it nearly impossible to catch. The winner is the first person to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill.
The event has a long tradition, with the earliest written evidence found in a message to the Gloucester town crier in 1826. However, it is believed to be much older, possibly dating back at least 600 years. The tradition may have evolved from maintaining grazing rights or pagan origins of rolling objects down the hill to represent the birth of the New Year.
While there are no known deaths associated with the event, there have been numerous injuries reported, including broken bones and even a lightning strike. Protective clothing is strongly recommended, and volunteers from Brockworth Rugby Club line the bottom of the hill to catch competitors as they tumble down.
Finding Hateno Cheese: A Guide to Delicious Success
You may want to see also
High speeds: The cheese reaches speeds of 70-80mph, enough to knock over spectators.
The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event is a world-famous phenomenon, attracting thousands of spectators and brave competitors from around the world. The event, held annually on the Spring Bank Holiday, involves participants racing down a 200-yard (180-metre) hill at Cooper's Hill, chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. With a 1:2 gradient, Cooper's Hill is the steepest slope in Gloucestershire.
The hard cheese wheel used in the event typically weighs 7-9 pounds (3-4 kilograms) and is decorated with ribbons. Due to the steepness of the hill, the cheese quickly reaches high speeds of 70-80 mph, far outpacing the chasing participants. The winner of the race is the first person to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill, and they get to keep the cheese as a prize.
The combination of the steep hill and high-speed cheese makes for a thrilling but dangerous event. The cheese reaches such high speeds that it can knock over and injure spectators standing nearby. In fact, during the 2025 event, 25 people were hurt, 12 of whom were spectators. One spectator was even hit by the cheese, which can weigh up to 9 pounds (4 kilograms). While there are no known deaths associated with the event, there have been reports of people breaking bones and suffering other injuries.
The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event has a long tradition, believed to be at least 600 years old, though its exact origins are unknown. The event is thought to have started as a pagan festival to mark the start of summer or as a way to maintain grazing rights on common land. Today, it continues to be a popular and unique sporting event, attracting attention and participants from around the globe.
The Hunt for Cheese in Once Human
You may want to see also
Safety concerns: There is no official organising body, and emergency services have warned of the risk of a 'mass casualty incident'.
The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event, held annually on the Spring Bank Holiday, is a dangerous affair. Participants race downhill after a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese, which can reach speeds high enough to knock over and injure spectators. The steep and uneven slope of Cooper's Hill, where the event takes place, has resulted in several injuries each year, with some competitors somersaulting and tumbling their way to the bottom.
While there have been no known deaths, there have been numerous injuries, including broken bones. In 2015, sixteen people were injured, four of them seriously. In 2025, one source reported that "people got injured". The cheese itself poses a danger, weighing between 7 and 9 pounds (3 to 4 kilograms) and travelling at high speeds. In 2013, one spectator was hit by the cheese, which has a head start of about one second.
The event has continued without official management or planning, and there is no official organiser. This has raised safety concerns among the Tewkesbury Borough Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which includes the emergency services. They worry about how emergency services would respond to a mass casualty incident, given the remote location of the event and previous struggles to access the site. The lack of official medical provision on-site has also been a concern, with St John Ambulance no longer providing first aid cover since 2012.
The event attracts thousands of spectators and competitors from around the world, and the dry weather conditions in 2025 made the racetrack harder and more dangerous. The cheese-rolling event has a long tradition, and while there is a desire to keep it alive, safety concerns must be addressed to ensure the well-being of participants and spectators alike.
Obtaining Government Cheese: A Guide to Eligibility and Access
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Injuries: 25 people were hurt in 2025, with two hospitalised.
The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event, held annually on the Spring Bank Holiday, is a dangerous affair. The event involves participants racing downhill after a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. The cheese used in the event weighs between 7 and 9 pounds (approximately 3 to 4 kilograms) and is sent rolling down a 200-yard-long (180-meter) hill with a steep 50% slope.
In 2025, 25 people were injured during the event, with two of them requiring hospitalisation. This included both competitors and spectators. The injuries occurred during five races held over two hours, with many participants slipping, somersaulting, and tumbling their way down the hill. One of the hospitalised individuals was a competitor who was injured while chasing the 3-kilogram cheese wheel and had to be airlifted to the hospital.
The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event has a long history, with the first written evidence of the tradition dating back to 1826, although it is believed to be much older. The event attracts thousands of spectators and competitors from around the world, and despite warnings of potential dangers and injuries, people continue to participate in this unique and wacky tradition.
Over the years, there have been various injuries reported, including broken bones and, in one instance, a person being struck by lightning. The event was deemed 'unsafe' in 2025, and officials have issued warnings about the risk of serious injuries. However, the event remains popular, with people returning year after year to participate in this unusual race.
Philly Cheesesteak: What's the Right Way to Order?
You may want to see also
No deaths: Despite the injuries, there are no known fatalities from the event
The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event, held annually at Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, is a dangerous affair. Participants race downhill after a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese, which weighs between 7 and 9 pounds (3 to 4 kilograms). The event attracts thousands of spectators and competitors from across the globe, all eager to partake in this wacky tradition.
Despite the event's lighthearted nature, injuries are common. In 2025, a competitor was airlifted to the hospital after sustaining injuries during the race. Twenty-five people were hurt in a separate incident, with twelve of them being spectators, and two requiring hospitalisation. In 1993, fifteen people were injured, four of them seriously. The event has been deemed 'unsafe', and officials have issued warnings about the risk of severe injuries.
However, despite the numerous injuries sustained over the years, there are no known fatalities associated with the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event. The event organisers and participants are vigilant about safety, and the event has been unofficially continued even when cancelled due to safety concerns or the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tradition of cheese rolling at Cooper's Hill is believed to be centuries old, with the first written evidence dating back to 1826. The event has evolved from a small local gathering to a worldwide phenomenon attracting a diverse range of participants.
While the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event presents a high risk of injury, it is a testament to the organisers and participants' safety precautions that there have been no reported deaths.
Fire Giant Cheese: Did the Patch Fix the Exploit?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the Gloucestershire Cheese Roll is considered a dangerous event. The cheese can reach high speeds of up to 70-80mph, and participants have been known to break bones and suffer other injuries while tumbling down the steep hill. There have also been instances of spectators being injured by the cheese or by participants falling into them.
There are no known deaths associated with the event.
Yes, there have been several reports of injuries at the Gloucestershire Cheese Roll. In one instance, a competitor was flown to the hospital after being injured during the race. In another year, 25 people were hurt, 12 of whom were spectators, and 2 were hospitalised.
Safety warnings are typically put in place ahead of the event, and there is usually a team of volunteers from Brockworth Rugby Club at the bottom of the hill to catch competitors as they come down. In 2013, a lightweight foam version of the cheese was used for safety reasons, but this was replaced with a real cheese wheel the following year.
