A crazy raft race, comic football and a mile of pennies

When: 26th December 2012

Where: Scarborough (South Bay Beach and Harbour)

£: Free, donations for the Fishermen & Firemen’s Charity Fund welcomed

What is it?

Said to be Scarborough’s oldest surviving custom, the Fishermen & Firemen’s Boxing Day football match takes place on South Bay Beach.

It has taken place annually from 1893 to raise funds for the Fishermen & Firemen’s Charity Fund.  The fund provides help for the elderly and infirm during the winter months.  It was originally started to help the widows and orphans of five Scarborough fishermen drowned at sea aboard the Evelyn and Maud.  In 1893 huge storms raged on the North east coast and sadly the Evelyn and Maud never returned to port.  With so many of the community widowed and orphaned by this tragic event the Mayor set up a fund to help them.

Today, even though there aren’t so many fishermen or firemen the match still manages to take place with the fishermen’s team dressed in white and the firemen’s team in red.  The match is still started by the Mayor and the winners receive a silver cup that has been used since 1901.  The match itself is a somewhat shambolic and light-hearted one in which players wear top hats, and the only rule is that if your top hat falls off, a free kick is awarded to the opposing team.  The players tend to be a tad merry as they make a tour of the houses and pubs in the old town for “refreshments” before the game, and as a result they aren’t usually capable of remembering the score at the final whistle.

Once the match is over the fun continues on to the harbour where a raft race is held.  Other entertainment on the day includes a Mile of Pennies and a comic band.

Why not head along to enjoy the chaos and help a good cause while you are at it?

More info: www.fishermenandfiremen.co.uk