Benfield Morris Men and Durham Rams
Benfieldside Morris Men was formed in 1963 as a school folk dance group at Benfieldside School in Consett (hence the name), and in the intervening 60 years has established itself in the North East, presenting Morris dancing and the Tyneside Rapper Sword dance. The original membership was drawn from people living in and around the villages of Benfieldside, Shotley Bridge and Blackhill but over the years has spread and now draws members from all over the North East of England. We have not however lost the community feel and still meet in a village hall, (although not the same village).
In 2018 we joined forces with Durham RAMS as both teams were suffering from a lack of members and now boast a healthy side of over 20 dancers. The team meets on Wednesday evenings during the winter to practise and then during the summer months they go out to perform at local fairs and functions, and travel further afield to meet up with other Morris sides at larger scale dance events.
Over the years they have represented England and Durham County at Festivals throughout Great Britain and Europe, have co-hosted three international festivals in Derwentside and visited over 15 countries.