HOW THE Worstead Festival STARTED
Worstead village sign with the infamous ram’s horn and the church
It all began with an idea to fund urgent repairs on the church.
The festival was founded in 1965 (with the first festival taking place in July 1966) to raise money to save the extraordinary village church, which was falling into disrepair. The first weekend was the first time when England won the Football World Cup, which makes it even more memorable.
So in 1965, every household in Worstead had all been given a charity money box to raise funds to stop the church falling down – it quickly and affectionately became known as the ‘Swear Box’.
After the festival’s first year, it quickly became an event to celebrate the historical ‘Worstead Weavers’ of which the village is known for, alongside farming and the rural way of life that has been here for hundreds of years.