WE are a nation, it seems, that takes eccentricity to heart.

Nowhere other than in Britain would people have such wonderful events to enjoy as coal-carrying races, cheese rolling and bog-snorkelling.

And those and other traditions live on and thrive, as exemplified by Marsden’s wonderful Cuckoo Day on Saturday.

Hundreds flocked to the village to pay homage to a legend; the tale of how villagers tried to keep a cuckoo in Marsden by building a wall around it, to herald the onset of Spring.

Along with the Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival and the Golcar Lily Day, it is a warm peculiar tradition that Colne Valley folk insist on perpetuating.

And rightly so.

Everyone needs an escape from the drudgery of everyday life and if that entails beer, bands and a bird then so be it.

The volunteers who worked so hard to stage another highly-successful village event deserve our thanks.