Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing Festival

11/09/2026

Rest and recovery completed.

Firstly, thank you to all Members of Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing Association, our Committee who meet monthly, our cart Foremen, cart pullers and cart maidens, and our badge sellers who helped organise and put on such a wonderful event to celebrate our 50th event.

Thanks also to:

All the publicans and venues who contributed to the event and their hospitality:

The Shepherds Rest The Shepherd's Rest Hotel
The Navigation The Navigation
William the Fourth William the Fourth Bar & Kitchen
The Commercial Wetherspoons
Blind Pig/ The Turks Head The Blind Pig Sowerby Bridge
Hollins Mill Inn Hollins Mill
Loose Goose The Loose Goose Inn
Bull on the Bridge The Bull on the Bridge Hotel & Sowerby Taps
The Hogs Head Hogs Head Brew House
The Moorings The Moorings
Salts Bar Salts Bar SB

The Rushcart The New Rushcart Inn Country Dining
The Alma Inn The Alma Inn
The Old Bridge Inn The Old Bridge Inn
The Milestone The Milestone, Ripponden

Hill Crest Bowling Club Hillcrest Bowling Club
Sowerby Cricket Club Sowerby St Peter's cricket club
Triangle Cricket Club Triangle Cricket Club

Thanks to the churches who hosted us and to who we presented rushes:
Warley St. John’s
St Patrick’s Bolton Brow
Christ Church
St. Paul’s
Sowerby St. Peter’s
St Mary’s Cottonstones
St. Bartholomews Ripponden

Thanks to all the businesses who continue to sponsor our banners which are displayed around the town.

Thanks to all at Rotary Sowerby Bridge
and their wider team of marshals and first aiders.
Rotary Club of Sowerby Bridge

Thanks to Calderdale Council
for their assistance in event planning approval and road closures, Streetwise for their excellent traffic management operatives. Calderdale Council

Thanks to Packaging World for storage and safe keeping of the cart. Packaging World Ltd

Thanks for the supply of support vehicles from GVA GVA
and Simply Moving & Sleeping. Simply Moving and Sleeping

Thanks to Shire Cruisers for their help in Rushcart building and preparation. Shire Cruisers

Thanks to Andrea at Trinkette for the sale of badges before and during the event. Trinkette

Thanks to Dan at Crawford Designworks for design of the publicity leaflet. Crawford Designworks

Thanks to Al North for badge design and production.

Thanks to BBC Radio Leeds and The Yorkshire Post for their publicity prior to the event. BBC Leeds Yorkshire Post

Finally thanks to all the general public who attended, bought a badge and visited the venues. This helps us to put the event on each and every year.

See you for our 50th anniversary in 2027!

Gareth Baigent
Chairman
Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing Association

11/09/2026

09/09/2026

After a few days to rest and recover, we'd like to say a huge thank you to all our performers over the weekend, including Sowerby Bridge Morris Dancers, Ryburn Longsword, White Rose Morris, Sutton Masque, Hebden Bridge Hill Millies, Border Reivers Morris - Glasgow, Silkstone Greens North West Morris, Thieving Magpie, Cindy’s Stompers Line Dance Community. Weaving together 🤠, Wharfedale Wayzgoose Border Morris, 400 Roses and t'Thorns and Bradshaw Mummers, and not forgetting the fabulous Marsden Silver Prize Band who led our procession on Saturday!

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

The 50th Rushbearing is right around the corner! Join us on the 6th of September to watch the cart come right outside the pub for the first time! We will be serving our much loved roast dinners from 12-3pm after which we will be joined by Big J's BBQ and to keep you fuelled through the afternoon! That's not all... .j.music will be singing as well!
St. Bartholomew's Church will also have cream teas, a tombola, market stores and the famous Duck Race will be at 3:45pm!

06/09/2026

Join us at The Alma Inn, on Sunday 6th September for a proper Rushbearing celebration! 🍻

🍺 Inside & outside bar
🌭 Burgers & hot dogs from 12pm
🚜 Cart arrival at 1:30pm

Come along, grab a cold one and enjoy the festivities!

Please note: we’ll be closing earlier than usual for our annual staff party. Thanks for your understanding!