Three women have been declared champions after 250 people competed in the second annual Sussex Cheese Bowling Championship, held at Hove Lawns last weekend as part of the Brighton Food Festival’s Sussex and the World Market.Thirty-two-year-old Lucy Shearman from Brighton was overall winner on Saturday September 15 and then Victoria Wilkes and Steph Tooley tied in the contest on Sunday September 16, rolling their High Weald Dairy St Giles cheese balls closest to the big cheese target on a marked out green on Hove seafront.
Said Paula Seager, MD of Natural PR, who organised the sport: “The Brighton Food Festival event was superb, attended by thousands and people got whole-heartedly involved with the cheese bowling with many staying to watch all afternoon.
“We are grateful to The Southern Co-operative, who sponsored the event and provided lots of their staff volunteers to help run the contest throughout the weekend – it was quirky, fun and all about delicious local fare, with contestants taking home their tasty cheeses to eat later. We’ll be back next year!”
The team (seen in the photo above) also raised £364 for Chestnut Tree House, the only children’s hospice in Sussex, at the event, with Peter Allan from High Weald Dairy also donating his salary on the day as well. Winners will receive presentation boxes with a selection of the dairy’s delicious cheeses.
Over 100,000 people enjoyed Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Festival’s Autumn Harvest events, which ran from September 7 to 16, sponsored by PHS Wastetech and Spire Healthcare and run by Festival Director Nick Mosley and a team of local volunteers.