Children go giddy for Maypole dancing

YOUNGSTERS at a school near Swaffham got out of the classroom and enjoyed the spirit of May Day with their own traditional festival.

YOUNGSTERS at a school near Swaffham got out of the classroom and enjoyed the spirit of May Day with their own traditional festival.

Pupils at Gooderstone Primary School ran round the Maypole, sang songs and learnt how to sheer a sheep at the one-day event.

Friday's event began with the crowning of the May Queen, who this year was 11-year-old Marnie Buchan. Marnie was attended by Matthew Jestico, 11, James Hill, seven, and Tianna Palmer, six.

All the children sang a traditional May time song before each class took it in turns to dance round the Maypole.

Local shepherd Emma Silvester visted the school to teach the children the basics of sheep sheering, spinning and knitting and also brought a long two three-week-old lambs that the children fed from the bottle.

Elsewhere the Friends of the school sold cakes and homemade wares, while the youngsters had their own cake making competition, won by eight-year-old Samuel Gilbert.

Headteacher David Baldwin said: 'It was great to see children and adults enjoying traditional dancing so much, and even though we live in a rural area the children may not have seen skills such as sheep sheering and spinning before and they were transfixed by the whole experience.'