Annual worm charming championship makes return to Wigan next month

Hosted at St Elizabeth’s Parish Hall on Saturday June 10, this will be the eighth event of its kind, with the Covid pandemic and lockdown causing two previous years to be cancelled.

Ruth Atherton hopes that this can be the biggest competition hosted to date, as the popularity has surged seeing people travel from Spain to compete.

Money generated on the day will go towards St Elizabeth’s church, helping towards the upkeep of the premises and paying bills.

In addition to the main event, there will also be a bouncy castle, tombola, cake stall, barbecue and various activities for the children ensuring that there is something for everyone.

Those hoping to take part in the worm charming can apply in advance at https://aspullwormcharming.weebly.com/ or on the day from 12.30pm.

Thecharming begins at 1.30pm and lasts half an hour, during which competitors can use a range of methods to create vibrations in the three by three plot of land to coax as many worms out of the earth as possible.

A prize will be won by the competitor who charms the most worms – with the record currently standing at 153 set a few years ago.

Furthermore, the Big Jim Trophy is awarded to the participant who caught the biggest and longest worm.

Ruth said: “It gets bigger every year and people come back for more, the techniques used to charm the worms get more and more bizarre every year! We see all sorts of equipment used.

"There’ll be a special guest on the day to present the trophies to the winner, I’m looking forward to a really good, family funday that’s a little bit bonkers!”