Crime & Safety
German YouTuber pips local to win Cotswolds cheese-rolling contest
Recent double champion Tom Kopke, 24, pipped Guinness World Record holder Chris Anderson close to the finish line in Gloucestershire today (Monday, May 25).
After chasing an 8lb double Gloucester cheese down Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, he declared: “This year’s cheese will taste the sweetest of all the cheeses I have won.”
Both men risked broken bones and serious injury, as they joined about two dozen daredevils to throw themselves down a steep hill in the annual death-defying cheese-rolling race in Gloucestershire.
Brave competitors sprinted, tripped and tumbled down Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth to try to win the double Gloucester.
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The heavy spring rain had softened the track, but the recent hot weather had made it firmer and more dangerous for the competitors who were cheered on by thousands of spectators.
With temperatures soaring during what forecasters said could become the hottest spring bank holiday on record, competitors and spectators alike also had to contend with sweltering conditions and the mercury hitting nearly 30C in Gloucestershire.
There was an extra competitive edge to this year’s races as Guinness World Record holder Chris Anderson, 38, came out of retirement after being challenged by YouTuber and recent double champion Tom Kopke, 24.
Mr Kopke, from Munich, came out on top after pipping Mr Anderson close to the finish line in the first men’s downhill race.
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The German, who retained the title he has won the previous two years, was embraced by his rival at the bottom after being declared the winner.
“This was, I think, my best year ever and I tried to stay on my feet for as long as possible,” Mr Kopke said.
“I don’t know how it went, but I gave everything. It’s everyone’s race, and you have just got to give your best and the best man wins.
“The hill was better than last year as the hill was really dry, but this year it was the optimal conditions – not too dry and a bit soft so the falls got cushioned.
“I think I got a good recovery on the middle of the hill and then sprinted the rest.
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“This year’s cheese will taste the sweetest of all the cheeses I have won.”
Asked how he prepares, he said: “Shut off your brain and go for it. The entire race I saw Chris in front of me, and I had to get him.”
Mr Anderson, from Brockworth, has won 23 times between 2005 and 2022.
The Anderson family look set to produce another generation of champions, with younger members following in their footsteps by winning the children’s uphill races.
Mr Anderson’s 11-year-old son Will won the younger race, while cousin Xander Anderson, 16, won the teenager’s race.
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The second men’s downhill race was won by Niels Wennemars, 21, from the Netherlands, who was following in the family tradition of sporting excellence – as his father, Erben, and brother, Joep, are both world champion speed skaters.
“It was so fun, if you can stand and stay on your feet you will win,” Mr Wennemars said afterwards.
“I grabbed the cheese because I was standing and all the people around me were falling.
“If you can stay to the end, and then at the end you can let yourself fall because the guys will catch you at the bottom.”
Holding the cheese, he added: “This belongs to the Netherlands. This was fun; all the people watching here, they need to do it.
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“If you live scared, you are going to die scared, and that is the worst way to live.”
The women’s downhill race was won by Alix Heugas, 27, from the Basque region of France.
Speaking afterwards, she said: “It was great, I had no technique, no training, just wing it.
“Do not be afraid, you are going to get hit, but it is okay, you will not break a bone – just go for it.
“I have wanted to do it for years, and when I knew I was coming to live in England for three months I was definitely signing up for this.
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“I’m going to eat the cheese with friends and family.”
The final race of the day was won by American teenager Otto Linkogle, from Florida.
The 19-year-old said: “It was really hot racing down; it was a lot of pressure. I run tracks, and it was like a track.
“My heart was going, and you just have to go. I didn’t practice – I just wish I did.
“I have seen this for a couple of years now, and I was over here doing the Cotswold Way, and I have always wanted to do it, so I am here, and I am going to run.
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“I wasn’t sure I had won. I wasn’t sure how fast the other people were; they were just tumbling.
“I’m okay, 100 per cent. I’m going to eat the cheese and try and ship it back home.”
Rebel cheese rollers have been staging their own unofficial event after health and safety fears caused the official competition to be cancelled in 2010.
The cheese is chased 200 yards down the 1:2 gradient Cooper’s Hill at Brockworth.
After a year’s hiatus, when police warned against the use of a real cheese, the imitation lightweight foam cheese was replaced with the genuine article.
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Long-time cheese-maker Rod Smart, who has produced cheese for the chase for more than 25 years, once again provided the wheels for this year’s event.
Four cheeses weighing about 3kg each and three smaller ones, weighing about 1.5kg, are used.
The unusual event has been celebrated for centuries and is thought to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring.
The official event was cancelled after more than 15,000 people turned up as spectators to watch the 2009 competition.
Since then, it has been held unofficially, with police keeping a watchful eye. Roads have been closed up to two and a half miles around the slope.
Some competitors travelled from across the world to take part in the series of madcap races, which attracted international TV crews.
Mourners, including members of the Royal Family, travelled to a small village in the county for the funeral of Lady Pamela Hicks on Saturday (June 13).
The service for the 97‑year‑old took place at St Bartholomew’s Church in Brightwell Baldwin, between Wallingford and Watlington.
Lady Pamela died last week at her home in the village, where she had lived for many years with her late husband, interior designer David Hicks.
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Among the mourners were Lady Helen Taylor, daughter of Prince Edward, and Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
There was no sign of King Charles or Queen Camilla, though, as the funeral came on the same day as Trooping the Colour, the King’s official London birthday parade.
Nevertheless, mourners paid their respects outside St Bartholomew’s Church as the coffin was carried inside, before following the procession for the service.
The small parish church is close to The Grove, the family house that became her long‑term base in Oxfordshire.
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According to the published order, the funeral was arranged in line with Lady Pamela’s wishes, with rousing hymns but no formal sermon or eulogy during the service.
Lady Pamela was a first cousin of the late Prince Philip and a great‑great‑granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
She was also a bridesmaid at the 1947 wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.
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The 97-year-old later served as a lady‑in‑waiting to Queen Elizabeth II and accompanied the then Princess on the 1952 tour of Kenya.
This was when news came through of King George VI’s death and Elizabeth’s accession to the throne.
Following her death on June 5, King Charles paid a warm tribute, saying he was “greatly saddened to learn of the death of Lady Pamela Hicks, a sorrow tempered by the fondest memories and deepest gratitude for her long life and loyal service to Queen Elizabeth.”
In the statement released by Buckingham Palace, he added that her “warmth, wit and perspicacity always made such an impression” and that she would be “so dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her.”
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Lady Pamela is survived by her three children, Edwina, Ashley and India, and several grandchildren, many of whom were expected to attend today’s village service.
Brightwell Baldwin is a small rural parish in South Oxfordshire, about four and a half miles north‑east of Wallingford and close to the foot of the Chiltern Hills.
The village, whose name comes from the Old English for “bright spring”, had a population of just over 200 at the last census and is centred around a handful of stone cottages, farms and the church.
St Bartholomew’s itself dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, with later medieval additions, and is regarded as one of south Oxfordshire’s most interesting historic churches.
Led by manager Daley Cross, a renal and transplant youth worker at the Churchill Hospital, the England men’s side claimed the title with a 9-1 win over Scotland in the final.
The tournament, held in Dingwall at the Global Energy Stadium, brought together more than 60 transplant recipients from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with each team showcasing the life-changing impact of organ donation and the resilience of transplant recipients.
Mr Cross said: “While it’s fantastic to bring the trophy home, the most important thing is the message behind the tournament.
“This is about showing what organ donation makes possible. Every player is living proof of the difference it can make.”
Among the England squad were two kidney transplant recipients cared for at Churchill Hospital – defender Robert Collins, 23, who received a kidney from his uncle in 2009, and goalkeeper Adam Martin, 35, who received a transplant from his sister in 2023.
Mr Collins, from Bedfordshire, said: “I’ve always loved playing football. When I was ill, I couldn’t play at all and I really missed it.
“Having a transplant has given me the chance to get back on the pitch and enjoy the game again.
“Being part of this team makes it even more special. There’s a real bond between us, one that extends beyond football – we’ve all been given a second chance.
“Every time we play, it’s a celebration of that. Scoring goals and winning along the way also helps.”
Mr Martin, from Banbury, said: “Representing your country is always an honour, but doing it alongside all the other transplant recipients – and in recognition of our donors – means so much more.
“I’ll always be forever grateful for the support the team offers and also to my sister for giving me a second chance at life.”
England finished the tournament unbeaten, securing dominant group-stage wins against Scotland (10-0), Northern Ireland (8-2), and Wales (7-0) before winning the final.
Mr Cross, who has worked at Oxford University Hospitals for 11 years, said: “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved on the pitch, but above all we want to raise awareness and encourage more people to consider organ donation.
“It truly saves and transforms lives.”
The tournament also featured public outreach to encourage sign-ups to the NHS Organ Donor Register.
England’s transplant team will now set their sights on the Transplant Football World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany, taking place later this year.
The competition will bring together teams from around the world to promote organ donation and celebrate the achievements of transplant recipients on a global stage.
The actress, who was born and grew up in the city, is well known to audiences around the world after starring as Professor Sprout in several of the Harry Potter films.
Known for her character actor work across film, television, and stage, she received the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs Mingott in Martin Scorsese’s 1993 film, The Age of Innocence.
Ms Margolyes was awarded an OBE in 2002 for services to drama, but there were calls for this to be taken back last year.
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The 85-year-old, who is Jewish, has said that “people don’t like Jews” whilst speaking at the Hay Festival in Powys.
Ms Margolyes added that her Jewish identity has shaped her “whole life” and added: “What your parents teach you and what you learn from the community you live in.”
Addressing concerns about rising antisemitism, she told the audience: “Nobody likes me to say this, but I’m going to say it – people don’t like Jews.”
She reflected on how, after the Holocaust – “when millions of Jewish people, and people from other backgrounds, were killed by the Nazis during World War Two” – there was a period when people “realised that they couldn’t say nasty things about Jews because terrible things happened to Jews and they must be sympathetic, so it stopped.”
However, she added that, over time, when “people with no morals who happened to be Jewish” appeared in public life, “the knives came out again, and they have never been put away.”
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