A band of Croydon Morris dancers are looking for men (and women!) to join them and be part of an old English tradition.

As the daylight begins to lengthen, Morris sides throughout England are stepping up their efforts to present a truly traditional spectacle at festivals, country fairs and outside pubs.

Croydon's Wild Hunt Bedlam Morris is no exception and at its practice sessions every Tuesday evening in the Scout Hall, St James's Road, West Croydon, the walls vibrate to the sound of robust Morris tunes and clashing sticks. And they are always looking for new blood.

Recent publicity in the national press has predicted the imminent death of Morris dancing, but this is far from the truth. Some Cotswold sides, who dress in white, wear flowered hats and wave hankies, have found it difficult to recruit a young generation of dancers, but The Wild Hunt dances in the Border tradition which is energetic, noisy and more exuberant.

In common with other Border sides, it has benefited from a welcome growth in membership and hopes to expand further as it approaches its 20th anniversary next year.

The Wild Hunt is a 'mixed' team of men and women dancers and musicians with an age range that covers five decades from 20s to 60s. Members wear 'tatters' - tattered jackets predominantly black interspersed with green rags for men and red for women. The Wild Hunt also wear masks, with small holes bored above the eye-holes, with red LEDs inserted. When turned on at night, they are eye-catching and more than a little scary.

The team was formed in September, 1991 and aims to perform about twice a month from April to December. Apart from dancing at local pubs, they also take part in folk festivals and other exciting events around the country.

Last November, for instance, the side performed at Witchfest in the Fairfield Halls and a week later danced in the Croydon Clocktower.

This was before a showing at the David Lean cinema of 'Morris: A Life with Bells On' starring Derek Jacobi and Greg Wise in which the team appeared, having been filmed at the Wimborne Folk festival in 2007.

Piper David Young said: "We know that people tend to laugh at Morris dancers, but now there is more appreciation of the need to preserve English culture and Morris sides are seen as the living embodiment of our traditions".

More details can be found on the side's website: www.wildhunt.org.uk