IT was a day when most slept off the excesses of the night before.

But villagers in Shelley had a spring in their step as they donned their wellies to take part in a long-held tradition.

Around 100 people of all ages braved the downpour to participate in the New Year’s Day ritual.

They squelched along six-and-a-half miles of muddy footpaths around the village boundary.

The Shelley Welly Walk has been organised by volunteers every year since 1978.

Since that first walk the event has taken place every year, starting and ending at Shelley Village Hall.

It has continued to grow in popularity and two further routes – a seven-and-a-half mile and three-and-a-half mile walk – have been added to encourage more participants.

Former parish councillor Malcolm MacDonald helped organise the event.

“It was an atrocious day,’’ he said. “It kept raining throughout most of the walk and people got very muddy.

“The best weather for it is when we’ve got fresh snow on the ground so we don’t get bogged down.

“But people in the village are stoics and they’re used to this by now and know what to expect when they come on the walk.

“We still got a good amount of people turning out – and they enjoyed themselves.”

People from other areas, including Holmfirth and Crosland Moor, joined the villagers, children and their dogs on the walk.

When they ended their trek back at the village hall they were greeted with steaming cups of hot soup and bread provided by volunteers.

The original idea of the event was to raise money for the village hall.

Mr MacDonald added: “People look forward to it and it has become a tradition.

“Many have been coming for years. This year we had a group of girls in their 20s who have been coming since they were six.

“It’s a social event. People who usually pass each other in the street have the time to get together and talk.

“Those who have been out celebrating can exchange experiences of what happened the night before.

“There’s also the feel good factor of blowing away the cobwebs of the New Year’s Eve celebrations. A little suffering is good for the soul!”