A CHRISTMAS tradition which ranks among England's quirkiest has been saved after an entire village agreed to create a pub for one day to host it.

Residents in Childrey have bought barrels of beer and pub snacks and hired their village hall to create the pop-up pub on Boxing Day.

It is all so they will have somewhere to host the annual Mummers play this year.

For some 40 years the Wantage Mummers have staged their anarchic pantomime at The Hatchet pub in Childrey every December 26.

The bizarre tradition, which traces its roots back to the early 18th century, is somewhere between a panto and Morris dancing.

It always features a cast of unusual characters including Napoleon, King Alfred and 'Old Father Beelzebub'.

The show includes an imaginary battle between King Alfred and Napoleon, after which each of them has to be healed first by a real doctor, then a phoney.

Performances always end with a satirical poem looking back over the topical events of the year – this year more than likely to include the unbelievable characters of 'Trump', 'Boris' and the Brexit monster.

The Wantage Mummers always collect donations for charity and over the years have raised more than £19,000.

The hugely popular show always attracts crowds of hundreds on Boxing Day as it tours around Faringdon, Wantage and finally at The Hatchet in Childrey.

So when the Hatchet called last orders for the final time earlier this year, villagers were genuinely worried the Mummers might not come back.

Refusing to let the tradition die, a band of villagers, led by Julian Worth, booked out the village reading room and have stocked up on beer and crisps ready for Mumming of their lives.

Mr Worth said: "The village was rocked by the closure of The Hatchet and is determined to see it reopened – as a community pub if a commercial buyer doesn't emerge.

"In the meantime, the priority has been to keep our long-standing village traditions going. We held a summer evening of dance and song with Icknield Way Morris Men, plus our choir, and are delighted that The Wantage Mummers are coming to Childrey on Boxing Day as usual.

"We shall have a pop-up pub in the village hall and very much looking forward to an afternoon of music and singing."

The Wantage Mummers, as tradition dictates, must remain anonymous, but they have close ties with the Icknield Way Morris Men.

This year will be particularly special as they are celebrating exactly 40 years since they were established.

To mark the occasion they have published a book entitled 'In Comes I – Forty Years of the Wantage Mummers' which they are selling to raise money for charity.

This year, as usual, the Mummers will visit Faringdon market place at 10am, Wantage market place at midday and, finally, Childrey reading room at 1.15pm.

Find out more at wantagemummers.org.uk.