A UK Town Holds A “Worm Charming” Competition Where People Try Get The Most Worms Out Of The Ground
Participants are assigned to a 3×3 meter plot of land and tasked to charm as many worms as possible within 30 minutes.
![A UK Town Holds A “Worm Charming” Competition Where People Try Get The Most Worms Out Of The Ground](/content/images/size/w1200/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk.jpg)
Every year, a Worm Charming Championship brings together dozens of people to the small village of Willaston, Cheshire in the UK for an unusual and one-of-a-kind event involving worms.
![A competitor uses a brass instrument trumpet to lure worms](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-1.jpg)
People from all over the world come together on a Saturday late June at Willaston Primary Academy to charm worms out of the soil.
![A solo competitor using wood stick trying to attract the worms out](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-5.jpg)
The competition is open to individuals, teams and even schools.
![3 competitors as a group facing down to the soil attracting worms out](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-3.jpg)
Participants are assigned to a 3×3 meter plot of land and tasked to charm as many worms as possible within 30 minutes.
![2 competitors as a group studying how to get the worms out of the soil](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-4.jpg)
Several rules are in place, including prohibiting people from digging, using drugs and giving water to the worms, which is considered a drug or stimulant.
![A competitor insert a wood stick into soil and hit it with other wood sticks, trying to tremble the soil and attract the worms out](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-2.jpg)
Competitors unleash their creativity, using various forms of music, as well as hand tools or other non-harmful methods to attract the worms to the surface.
![A group of competitors using guitar to play music and attract the worms out](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-6.jpg)
At the end of the event, two prizes are awarded: one for the heaviest worm caught and another for the most worms caught.
![A woman competitor showing off her worm that got her win the competition](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-7.jpg)
The highest score so far is 567 worms, recorded in 2009 by “The Willaston Wobblers”, a three-person team.
![A group competitors coordinates to attract worms out](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk.jpg.jpg)
The event dates back to 1980 and has become a tradition as a fun and unique outdoor activity in which anyone can sign up as a competitor, regardless of age or skill level.
![A woman competitor using her unique technique to attract the worms out](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-8.jpg)
The event’s initial purpose was to provide entertainment, while also celebrating the traditional skill of worm charming.
![A woman competitor blowing a bottle to make sound through it into the soil and her kid beside making more sound from shaking a bottle full of small balls](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-9.jpg)
It has not only become a tradition, but also a way to raise people’s awareness of environmental issues and the importance of protecting the earth’s ecosystems, including the soil and its inhabitants, such as worms, as it has been passed down through generations.
![A competitor uses a trumpet to lure worms](https://almostmag.co/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/worm-charming-willaston-uk-10.jpg)
The competition also helps to raise money for charity and donate to various organizations.