The dance May go on (From Stroud News and Journal)

The dance May go on

TRADITIONAL dancing around the Maypole at Paganhill will still take place this year thanks to quick thinking measures to save the well-known landmark.

Members of the Paganhill Maypole society had attempted on Wednesday to put the flag of St George on top of the 60ft red, white and blue pole which stands in the middle of the car park of the Old Crown pub.

But they discovered the pole was rotting away at the top.

"We tried to put the flag on the pole but it was wobbling all over the place and we realised it was potentially dangerous," said chairman of the Paganhill Maypole society Sue Sutton.

Society member and landscape gardener Haydn Sutton from Paganhill clambered into a metal cage which was lifted 60ft into the air where he took a chainsaw to the problem.

Mr Sutton successfully cut through a section of the pole as a large crowd of excited onlookers gathered below.

With the pole cut, Mr Sutton and the crane were lowered safely to ground level.

But on closer inspection, the pole which is made of larchwood was discovered to have rotted more than expected so Mr Sutton went back to remove some more.

"We thought we would have to cut only a small section but in the end we had to cut 16ft of the pole off," said Mrs Sutton.

The pole which was sited in the car park in 1995 is thought to have suffered structural damage when a delivery lorry knocked into it seven years ago.

Rob and Jo Faithful of the Old Crown have now offered to donate a penny for every pint consumed from now until the end of May to help fund the cost of the pole cutting.

* The annual May fair at the Maypole will take place on Saturday May 3 from 1pm with dancing around the Maypole along with a band and stalls. For further information contact Mrs Horton on 01453 762473.