A HAMPSHIRE tradition revived in the 1970s has celebrated its 40th anniversary.
The Otterbourne Mummers stage the ancient folk play in the village between Winchester and Eastleigh.
It is a link between the 21st century and the time when villagers enjoyed many traditions passed down through generations.
The revival was led by Paul Marsh, 64, whose great uncle performed it in the early 1900s. “My mum used to talk about when she was a young girl and her uncle at family parties would talk about the mummers," he says.
“My Mum said go and see great uncle Tom Goodchild and he was able to remembered it. He was only a kid at the time. That was in 1972.”
The play performed in striking costumes made of strips of wallpaper is based on the fight between good and evil. Topical references are always inserted to keep the performance fresh, said Mr Marsh.
Mr Marsh and Albert Wilkins are the only two founder members who still perform the show now held once a year on the last Sunday before Christmas.
The event is staged in Park Lane outside the home of Sylvia Warne, whose grandfather was also a mummer in the 19th century.
She said: “It’s fantastic. They come, rain, snow or ice.”
Mr Marsh, of Brambridge, said they will continue the annual show had no intention of dropping the annual performance.
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