STICKS will clack, bells will jingle and accordions will play when Ledbury plays host to scores of morris men from throughout the West Midlands, later this month.

The local morris "side", the Silurian Border Morris Men will host a day of morris dancing in the town centre on Sunday, April 26.

Thy will be joined by eleven Morris sides from all over the West Midlands, including groups from Derby, Stoke, Ironbridge and Chepstow.

Former mayor of Ledbury, Keith Francis, is a long-standing member of the Silurian Border Morris Men.

He said of the unusual event: "We call this particular gathering a ‘Black Meet’ and it has been held for about 20 years in different parts of the West Midlands on the Sunday nearest St George’s Day. We are very proud to host this event as part of celebrations for St George and England’s traditions.

"This is an annual gathering of Morris teams, who perform in the Welsh Border tradition, which includes dances from Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. One particular element of these dances is that the dancers disguised themselves with black faces. The dances are lively and accompanied by a variety of musical instruments including melodeon, accordion, drum, brass, fiddle and guitar."

Mr Francis added: "These dances were usually performed around Christmas time, and we have danced in Ledbury beside the Market House on Boxing Day for over 45 years. One of the major traditions that we celebrate is the Wassail, a ceremony in cider orchards to mark the end of winter, to thank the cider trees for their plentiful harvest of apples and to waken the trees to a new season of growth."

On Sunday April 26 the guest sides will be performing at various places around Ledbury including the Market House, Master’s House, theTalbot Inn and near the Brewery Inn. Performances will start at 11.00am and continue until 4.00pm.

Mr Francis said: "We shall also be presenting a cheque for over £1,200, raised at our wassail in Much Marcle earlier this year, to a representative from St Michael’s Hospice."

Further information on www.silurianmorris.org.uk