Bloodstone Border Morris

Based on the Isle of Wight, Bloodstone Border Morris dance team was set up in the summer of 2009. We took our name from Bloodstone Copse, reputedly the scene of a battle between the Saxons and Danes, where so much blood was spilt, the nearby brook, the Monkton Mead, ran red. The Bloodstone is where the Monkton Mead brook rises on Ashey Down.

We dressed in black, with a splash of Blood Red, to signify the history of our name. Our faces were disguised in the tradition of Border style.  Our dance style was Border, originating in the Welsh/English border, with dances such as Brimfield, Dilwyn, White Ladies Aston and others named after local border towns and villages, but we also write our own dances such as Gallows Hill, Monkton Mead, Seasick and Scarlett's Black Feather, all with a story relating to Isle of Wight places or legends.

We performed at local events such as the County Show, Havenstreet Steam Show and the Island Highland Games.  We've even performed at major festivals such as Bestival and the Isle of Wight Festival and regularly at several mainland festivals, including Hastings Green Man, Trowbridge, Wickham and Bradford upon Avon Folk Festivals.  We love a good pyre and annually process to light the beacon on Culver Down to celebrate winter solstice.

For several years we ran our very own dance weekend - the infamous Bloodstone Border Rally, at which we hosted other teams and raised money for a chosen local charity.  We continued to raise money for local charities at our dance outs and over the years have raised thousands of pounds for these worthy causes.