Goostrey - Community and Culture

Community and Culture

Goostrey Rose Day is the annual summer village fête which is held on the last Saturday of June. The village children, organisations and the young at hearts dress in fancy-dress costumes and parade through the village. To mark the centenary, Goostrey held a scarecrow competition for the whole village to participate in, which has now become an annual event in the village. Photos of past Goostrey Rose Days can be seen in the Crown Inn.

There is a very popular local tradition of gooseberry growing, and an annual Goostrey Gooseberry Show. A plaque in the Crown Inn lists all of the show's past winners.

Goostrey is a thriving village with a close knit community and has many clubs and organisations for all ages. The village boasts a village hall as well as a park and children's play area. The village also has its own sports pavilion and facilities which are available to village residents and include a bowling green, football pitch and tennis courts.

An active footpaths group keeps the many public footpaths around the village in good order. More Goostrey Walks & Strolls details nine walks around the village and is available via the group's website (see External Links). It has photos, maps needed for the walks and is a mine of historical and ecological information about Goostrey.

In 2006, Goostrey became one of the first villages in the United Kingdom to have its own profile on the social networking website MySpace.

2007 saw the introduction of the Goostrey Arts Festival. Also known as "Goosfest", the week-long showcase comprises a wide variety of events promoting the cultural life of the village, consisting of amateur and professional practitioners (many of whom are local) across a wide range of the arts, including stand-up comedy, classical, folk and contemporary music, pottery, photography and paintings. The majority of the events take place in the Red Lion, the village hall, the Crown Inn and St Luke's Church.