Conger cuddling
Conger cuddling is a traditional event in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, in which a dead conger eel is thrown at members of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The practice was stopped in 2006 when an animal rights activist threatened bad publicity.
Event[]
Part of the town's "Lifeboat Week", the eel is attached to a rope and thrown at nine people standing on flowerpots[1] in a manner similar to skittles. There are two teams involved in a last man standing competition.[2]
The event, which attracted around 3,000 people annually between the 1970s and 1990s,[3] was used to raise funds for the RNLI. It has been called the "most fun a person could have with a dead fish".[2] The event would generally raise around £5,600 (equivalent to £8,284 in 2020) for the RNLI.[4]
History[]
"We decided that it really wasn't worth upsetting anybody by going ahead with using a dead conger, but it's a dead conger, for Pete's sake. I shouldn't think the conger could care one way or another."
Andrew Kaye, spokesman for Lyme Regis lifeboat crews[4]
The event started in the early 1970s when Richard Fox, a retired publican, organised the first event. It became a tradition of the town, drawing numerous spectators.[5] Fishermen would catch the eels in their nets accidentally, freeze them and defrost them for the competition.[4] However, in 2006 the RNLI made the decision that the event was "inappropriate" after a complaint was made[5] that it was 'disrespecting fish'.[6] The complaint was made by an animal rights activist who threatened the RNLI with negative publicity. When it was next held (28 July 2006) the eel had been replaced by a buoy and there were plans made for a plastic eel to be made in time for a 2007 contest.[3]
After seven years, the game was planned for a return in 2012 with a real dead eel, but not as part of Lifeboat Week, instead as a game in the "Lyme Lympics", a set of odd games. The Lympics were to be filmed for Rory McGrath's television series ,[6] with McGrath joining in himself,[7] however the event was cancelled on the day.[8]
References[]
- ^ Clarke, Matt, Practical Fishkeeping. "Conger cuddling cancelled Archived 2007-01-28 at the Wayback Machine". Accessed 29 July 2006.
- ^ a b Reuters, 29 July 2006. "Net closes on conger cuddling[dead link]". Accessed 29 July 2006.
- ^ a b Etim, Thelma, BBC News. 29 July 2006. "Fish lover's anger ends eel event". Accessed 29 July 2006.
- ^ a b c "Threat ends dead eel toss tradition". NBC News. Associated Press. 31 July 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ a b Steven Morris (29 July 2006). "Conger eel fund-raising game slithers out of favour".
- ^ a b "Lyme Regis tradition is a bit fishy". Dorset Echo. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ "Lyme Regis: TV's Rory McGrath to enter conger cuddling contest". Bridport & Lyme Regis News. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ Bell, Anne (1 August 2012). "Safety fears sink return of conger contest". Bridport & Lyme Regis News. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
External links[]
- Photographs from Lifeboat Week at LymeRegis.com
- 1970s establishments in England
- Precision sports
- Sport in Dorset
- Tourist attractions in Dorset
- Culture in Dorset
- Lyme Regis