Worm charmers fork out for event

Will the competition open a can of worms?

The eccentric art of worm charming is has been demonstrated at a festival in Caerphilly county.

Any technique could be used to persuade the worms to surface from the ground but using liquid or digging is banned as part of strict competition rules.

"Twanging" forks in the ground so they vibrate is a popular trick, but some competitors prefer using music, drumming or even dancing.

The contest was held as part of the Green Park Festival in Crosskeys.

It was presided over by chief wormer Mike Forster, who runs the world worm charming championship in Cheshire.

Festival organiser Allison Pinney explained that various techniques people use to charm worms.

You just don't know what sort of music the worms in your patch will like - they may prefer The Shadows over classical Brian Evans, worm charmer

"The most common is people putting a fork into the ground and banging it so it twangs," she said.

"But people try all sort of tricks, like meditation, although I'm not sure how that works to playing cellos, tap dancing and drumming.

"People can try anything to charm up the worms as long as they don't use water or liquid of any kind and no digging," she said.

The idea of the competition came as a way of helping encourage visitors to the area.

"We needed to think of something and the weirder the better," she said.

"And it has really got people interested. I've heard there are all sorts of people practising to take part and even researching what music is the best to use."

WORM CHARMING RULES 3m x 3m patch of ground No water or other liquid to be used No digging

One charmer taking part in the competition was 70-year-old Brian Evans.

"I've been saving myself - I don't want to overtrain after all look what happened to the Welsh rugby team, they overtrained and now half of them aren't playing," he said.

"I've had my fork tuned and I've got a special tapper made of beech wood so I'm pretty confident.

"But I've got a selection of music. The thing is you just don't know what sort of music the worms in your patch will like - they may prefer The Shadows over classical."

The world record holder is Tom Shufflebotham, from Cheshire, who "charmed" 511 worms out of the ground in half an hour in 1980.

And after the final count, the worms were released back to the ground after dark.