World Pooh Sticks Championships


When Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin first dropped a handful of sticks from a bridge into a stream and rushed to the other side to see which came under first, who would have imagined this would start an annual tradition? Held at Days Lock Island, near the Whittenham Clumps in Oxfordshire, good weather helped attract around 1000 to the contest this year, with a few in fancy dress. Competing families and bears take part in a knock-out style competition, with teams of six dropping different coloured sticks from each of the two bridges at the lock.