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The hashpaedia In-depth |
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The North updated See also Channel Isla |
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England could make a good claim to be the true home of Hashing. The paper chase, from which Hashing directly evolves, is without doubt an English invention. (See Hare and Hounds). In addition Mother Hash was founded by a core of Brits, who brought not only an interest in running, but also the ‘let’s all be silly buggers’ attitude that is the result of a British education system. Yet, in the UK, paper chasing never took on the social, non-competitive nature that is central to Hashing. Indeed by the early sixties the paper chase had virtually died out, to be replaced by a culture of competitive road and cross-country running. It needed returning ex-pats to bring Hashing to English shores and it was military personal who were the pioneers. Longmoor H3 was established in 1968 by Richard ‘Mountain Rescue’ McAllister, their first run attracting a pack of 20, a handful of whom had previous Hash experience.
Important note This hash was originally dated to late 1968, but in reflection, and after looking at dates on photographs, Mountain Rescue has now confirmed the first run as taking place in May 1969.
Runners from the nearby Borden Camp later joined them and when Longmoor closed Hashing continued as Borden H3. In 1971 or ‘72 Ray Thornton founded the Commando Forces H3 at Plymouth. They had no knowledge of the Longmoor group and presumed themselves to be the first Hash in the UK. The first Hash to be founded by civilians was Westcombe H3, who date to December 1971. Mike Read, believed to be formerly of Lagos and possibly else where in Africa, was founding father and the group drew heavily from the local rugby club. They still exist, but as they only run monthly, are on far fewer runs than many other Hashes. Thornton’s next posting was Bicester where – of course – he founded yet another Hash. Bicester H3 however opened their doors to civilians and is therefore are still going strong. Surrey H3 followed, starting with an ad in the local papers. What we must remember is that in the early seventies there was no such thing as ‘jogging’. To be seen out running on the streets meant you must be a serious athlete and bought cries of ‘keep it up.’ (To which one athletic magazine suggested shouting back, ‘Why, is it falling down?’) However, once the jogging boom started, Hashing benefited considerably from the new fashion. InterHash also had an impact and although British Hashers were involved from the beginning it was Pattaya in 1986 and Bali in 1988 that first saw them attend in large numbers. By the early nineties British Hashing was ‘coming of age’. The 1993 Nash Hash was the first ‘sell out’ while London, followed by Surrey, Bicester, Donnington, Cheltham and Berkshire celebrated their 1000th runs. Today the UK Hash scene is certainly healthy. There are around 200 kennels, the UK has finally hosted InterHash (Cardiff 2004), the Nash Hash is thriving and there is an ever more lively culture of Hash visits. Having said that, Hashing remains a fringe activity. While Jakarta stages four Hashes a week, each attracting over 50 runners, Newcastle, a city of a quarter million people, can only attract packs of around 20.
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Hashing by areas: |
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London H3 dates to 1976 and was formed by Ian McGregor who, like many of the London founders, was ex Hong Kong. The first run attracted 6 hounds in Highgate Woods. For a long time London H3 had an ‘orange juice drinkers’ reputation, but a successful 500th celebration helped to dispel this unpleasant rumour. Hashing moved into the suburbs with the founding of Barnes H3 in 1983. They are based in Roehampton, the original home of Thames Hare and Hounds. Local papers incorrectly reported this as the first Hash in the UK, which started a friendly rival with Surrey H3. In fact there is some over lap of members, particularly in summer when Barnes tend to stage many of their runs well into the Surrey countryside. Old Coulsdon H3 was added to the capital’s Hash calendar in 1984 and West London H3 in 1986 (founder Bob Neff). This Thursday Hash has produced one of the most distinguished Hash designs, the famous London Underground t-shirt. City Hash started three years later, taking the still vacant Tuesday nightspot and running from a pub ‘within Underground zone 2ish.’ Phil Mertell topped the run list in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Other London Hashes, and there is a bewildering array, tend to be fringe events. The ‘Currently Unnamed North Thames H3’ is actually a pub-crawl, and there are bikes, kids, leap years events and so on. Royal London Harriettes found in February 1989 didn’t survive. MiddlesexEnfield H3 was founded by Tim ’Lunchbox’ Hall and Adam Shepherd in 1999. They run once a month from a local pub. Other Hashes occasionally lay trails within the county.
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Largely rural, yet close to London, the south east has been a popular retirement area for returning ex-pats and therefore for returning hashers.
Essex Essex H3 was founded in June 1984 thanks to Bruce Giddings (ex-Singapore). The First U.K. Full Moon Hash, FUKFM has become more famous, or at least notorious. Formed in 1989, ‘to run monthly runs under the moon, generally somewhere in North London, Hearts or Essex’ they draw runners from various groups and regular overseas visits have become part of their repertoire. KentFriends of The Mole H3 are linked to the Channel Tunnel, being founded in 1987 when engineers, many of whom were Hashers, arrived in the area. The name came from the Tunnelling Engineers' nickname for their six Tunnel Boring machines. The club mascot naturally had to be a mole. The company provided a minibus for runners who gathered outside the local Tescos, so there was no problem with drinking and these were probably some of the wildest and most ‘traditional’ hashes to be staged on British soil. The 2 or 3 survivors still running with the Moles fondly remember days when they were banned from numerous local puns! The tunnel was finished in 1994 but the Hash has been kept going by a handful of locals. Mr Magoo was the first to 400 and his first 458 runs included 54 hares. Given their tunnel links, they naturally regularly cross over to France for a run. Kent Hashes seem particularly keen on acronyms and we have the Westerham and North Kent H3 (WANK) and Socially Up And Cumming Kentish H3 (SUCK). Harvel H3 is a strangely competitive group, they claim to be affiliated to the South of England Athletics Association and their web sites have club records listed (for running, not drinking). At least they are based in a pub.
Sussex Updated Sussex is a favourite retirement area and returning ex-pats have played a large part in the Hash tradition. Westcombe Park H3 (1971) consider themselves the oldest surviving Hash in the UK and still have a monthly Sunday run from the Westcombe Park RFC. During the eighties they were strong on the 'silly buggers' side of hashing, having hash ID cards and demanding the wearing of different hats on every run. They claim the first ever broken leg on a UK hash, to quote 'ambulance got to within half a mile of the stricken hasher before the decision was taken to shoot him.' East Grinstead H3 1982 and Chichester H3 1983 have also had their share of ex-pats. Indeed Chichester’s founder, Andrew Tarry, was of Cheras Bandit fame and his wife Veronica a founder of KL Harrittes. Recently the Chichester pack has been in decline, the original members growing old and dropping away and fewer ex-pats retiring to the area. Founder Rob Canman Low still runs with them and he and American Jim Voight are both in their seventies. East Grinstead H3 'The Civilized Hash’ had a reputation in the nineties for finding shiggy, a habit they proudly cultivated at Nash Hash and at Cardiff InterHash where they laid the ‘English Shiggy’ Trail. They also received local press coverage with their bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games at the South of England Show grounds. They claim 120 members, with between 35 and 50 turning out at any one time. Runs are Sundays in the winter and every Monday in the summer. In terms of size the only local Hash to rival them is Brighton HHHHH3 (that title includes Hove, Haywards Heath and Horsham). Formerly known as Sussex Vale, their Monday runs start from a different pub in the Brighton area. There is certain seriousness to their running and they even enter a team in the Sussex Road Race league.
Surrey Updated Surrey H3 was founded in 1975 by Jim Raper, (ex Singapore) and run on Sundays. They are one of the great UK Hashes, the oldest weekly Hash in the UK still running and the first UK Hash to send people to InterHash. They make good use of the Surrey countryside and village pubs and numbers are very healthy, with a sprinkling of distinguished Hashers who know what it is all about. Indeed they claim three active runners over 70 years of age! Guildford H3 and Weybridge H3 re both active. Weybridge meet on Tuesday nights from a local pub. The eight o’clock start time means they are running in the dark during winter. The pack is about 12-15 strong depending where they are running from, and little changed in recent years. Indeed the lack of new members is something of a concern. Considering their average age they set a good pace and are social able and friendly, if sadly declining to run a circle. Other Hashes often cross the county border.
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Essex Full Moon Hash hits Stockholm
Chichester H3 above the famous toilet seat and below the beautiful Sussex countryside |
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Bedfordshire Bedford Hare and Hounds claim that they are ‘the Bedford Hash.’ Originally based at the Hare & Hounds pub at Old Warden, they now vary their RV’s to pubs around the Bedford area. Pecker and White Rabbit were the first to reach 400 runs and they have a small core of regulars with 300 plus runs to their credit.
Berkshire
Berkshire H3
was
founded by Bill Holmes
(ex Sydney) in March 1978. Originally known, as the ‘Royal Berks’ they
are the largest Berkshire Hash and the only one to meet regularly. They
staged Nash Hash in 1987. The Newbury Original H3
also stage occasional runs, plus there are full moon and bike
Buckingham Updated Buckingham is a surprisingly lively centre of Hashing. Although Biceseter is actually just across the border, many of the runs and their runners are Buckingham based. There is also the Aquilla H3, a Bicester breakaway group that dates to 1996. High Wycombe H3 began on 5 March 1991 with 5 Hashers plus a dog turning up at the ‘Stag and Huntsmen’. Going onto the web brought a surge of numbers and they now average 20 Hashers each week. Marlow H3 gather every Sunday morning at 10.15 at the Duke of Cambridge pub in Marlow. Milton Keynes H3 date to May 1990 and was founded by Jonathan ‘Grizzler ‘ Hobbs, formally of Wellington. He was the only one to turn up for Run Number 1, but there were 10 at Run Number 2 and local newspaper coverage brought the pack up to a respectable number.
Gloucester and BristolUpdated Bristol has two Hashes. Aza Adam founded Bristol H3 in June 1983. They run on Sundays within about ten miles of the centre of the city and trails are usually about four miles long. Paul ‘Fat Controller’ Mountford achieved 1000 runs with the club on 5th April 2009. Bristol Greyhound Hash was founded in 1988 by engineers working on a shopping mall project and named after ‘The Greyhound’ pub in central Bristol. (At the time the original Bristol hash were unaware of this event). Their Monday night runs take place from pubs within a ten miles radius of the city centre. Extremely well organized, their website even has a radio station. To the east of Bristol, in the district known as Bath and North-East Somerset (BANES), where you find Kennet and Avon H3. They were formed on 31st July 1991 by Lee Nash and Mike Triplett. Runs are within about ten miles of Bath every Wednesday evening. Also, south-west of Bristol, in North Somerset, is the relatively-new Bogs of Somerset Hash, founded by Joe 'Deep Throat' Norman on 6th December 2006. The Lundy Island Hash was formed by Bristol hashers Paul 'Fat Controller' Mountford and Mark 'Tablewhine' Young in 1987. Runs take place once a year, in Summer, on the picturesque wildlife paradise of Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, SW England. Cheltenham H3 (founded by Mike ‘PMW’ Wallace, and Jim ‘Jimbo’ Dumbrill, formally of Hong Kong) claim to be largest kennel in the UK, regularly attracting packs of over a hundred during summer. They have been sending contingents to InterHash since Bali and were the second highest represented Hash at Cardiff. Also see Lungby Island Hash With thanks to Wolfie
Hampshire There are plenty of Hashes listed in Hampshire but many are monthly or occasional. Of the weekly Hashes North Hants H3 is the oldest, being formed on Good Friday in 1981 with an original core of civilians and military police. They briefly folded for a few months but reformed and went on to stage Nash Hash. Like many of the Hants Hashes they draw some of their runners from the across the border. Worthy Winchester was founded at Worthy Down in January 1984 and has been running ‘more or less’ ever since. They hosted Nash Hash in 2001 and celebrated their 1000th run in September 2004. They have ‘hour long runs on Monday evening, in the country during the summer and probably in town streets during the winter.’ Hursley H3 runs on the first Tuesday of every month and is based around the Bourne Valley near Andover, but can run all over all the north end of Hampshire. An average pack is from 25 to 75. Bourne Valley H3 is a monthly kennel and, in addition to those who live in the valley, members are drawn from many other Hashes in Hampshire and the surrounding counties. Isle of Wight H3 (founded by Richard Freeston in 1983) is a Sunday Hash with over 1,000 runs to their credit. They are thriving with packs of 40 plus.
Hertfordshire Herts H3 (formerly known as North Herts) is a weekly Hash, meeting Sundays during winter and Monday in the summer. Their slogan is ‘We love Hashing from the Bottom of our Herts’. Enfield H3 regularly gets up into this region. OxfordshireBicester H3, whose actives roam over both Bucks and Oxfordshire, are one of the oldest and most active Hashes in the UK. Although originally an army hash, the military contingent quickly dropped off, more it seems because the Sunday run clashed with church rather than with military duties. Sniffer was the first Bicester runner past a thousand runs – and therefore possibly the first UK hasher to do a 1000 runs with one kennel. Recently there have been less children and more walkers – the latter being a sign of the growing age of the pack. Having said that, runs can still be tough and a SCB is considered somebody who regularly gets home under the hour.In February 2001 they were the subject of a BBC feature. Bicester Unofficial Moonshine H3 (the BUMs H³) was founded in 1991 and is a proudly independent kennel, refusing to undertake joint runs even when the run dates coincides with the main Bicester Hash. Oxford H3 run on Wednesdays, ‘‘town and smog’ in winter, villages in summer’. There is also The Oxford Summer Sunday Hash (TOSS) which does morning runs once or twice a month in the summer with the option of a pub lunch. Didcot H3 is a small kennel, usually attracting a dozen runners, sometimes less. ‘With only a 50p run fee there is no cash for down-downs.' However they do manage to turn out weekly. South Oxford District Official Hash (SODOFF) only runs occasional. There is also an annual run for the Cropredy Folk Festival Hash. Bicester and Aquila packs often cross into the county. Also see Hooray Henley Hash.
Wiltshire Wiltshire offers reasonable Hash opportunities and lovely countryside. HOV H3 (Haunch of Venison) dates from 1983 and runs in the Salisbury area. North Wiltshire H3 is based around Swindon and has been featured on local radio. Kennet Valley meets on Sunday with packs of 25, more than half walkers. The Sore Arse Bash are bikers, not sexual deviations. |
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Not too long ago, certain around the same time that the Thames Hare and Hounds were setting paper chases in London, Devon and Cornwall were remote places where the fishing and mining communities spoke their own language and considered anybody from the rest of England as foreigners. Those days have gone but this remains a rather rural and quiet corner of the world. For some reason which is difficult to explain it is also an extremely active hash region. Partly this might be because of the large retirement community and certainly many of first kennels can trace their links directly back to the big Asian hashes. A military presence in the region was probably also a factor in the early days. However the simple fact that there is such great hashing territory might account for there being so many hashers!
Cornwall Updated There are two main Hashes in the southeast corner of England, Looe & Liskeard H3 and Truro H3. Truro was founded in 1983 and meets every week (Sunday in the winter and alternate Sunday and Mondays in the summer) at a pub somewhere within a 20 mile radius of Truro. They also organise regular weekend camping trips. Droop was the first Truro Hasher past 400 runs. Looe date to March 1982 and are yet another of the UK hashers founded by Ray Thornton. They make good use of the local fields, lanes, streams, marshes, cliff paths as well as running on Bodmin Moor. They meet Monday evenings in summer and Sunday mornings during the winter. Cornwell was the best place to see the total eclipse of 1999 and this led to the formation of the Umbral Shadow Hash.
Devon The beautiful Devon countryside has tempted just about every little town to create a kennel. Tavistock based Tamar Valley H3 is the biggest and was founded in 1981 by Bloodnock (former Singapore and Army). In January 1984 ex Tamar Valley Hashers formed a break away Hash so that the smaller pack would allow them to get off-road more often. They called themselves 'Son Of Tamar Valley H3' for several years, until Cream Soda led a move to rename them after the local British naval hero Sir Francis Drake and they became Drake H3. They remain a small Monday night pack who usually head for Dartmoor. The same year ‘Wally’ and ‘Peaches’ Welch, ex Jordan, founded Teign Valley H3 who with large packs, a reputation for giving aggressive down-downs and past host of Nash Hash has a good claim to be one of England’s premier Hashes. Plymouth H3 meet every Sunday going to different pubs in and around the Plymouth area. Keener Hashers also run every Thursday (T.I.T.S). There are two Hashes in Exeter. Exeter H3 meets every Sunday and Isca H3 run around Exeter on Wednesdays. They have a Roman theme and ‘Stick Insex’ was their first runner past the 300 mark. Getting to the smaller towns, Ashburton H3 have Tuesday runs within half hour drive of Ashburton, Barnstaple H3 run in North Devon and on Exmoor and Kirton H3 meets every Monday evening at 19:15 to ‘run in the beautiful Mid-Devon countryside’. They were founded in 1988 by a group of Queen Elizabeth's School pupils and the first GM Mark ‘Pubes’ Burston, was not old enough to buy a drink at the time. Okement H3 runs from Okehampton, a market town near the remotest parts of Dartmoor. They are a Sunday morning Hash.
Dorset Wessex H3 was established in August 1979 thanks to Ram and Penny Seeger. Brian James and Sharkey Ward were other important members during the early years and Starky was made 'Godfather for Life' by the kennel. By the mid eighties Wessex had 130 paid up members and claimed to be the biggest hash in the UK. They were Nash Hash hosts in 1985 and three times winners of the 'Challenge Pot' at the London Marathon. Today they are a family Hash, meeting every Sunday morning and run throughout Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and into Somerset. They had the distinction of being the best-represented Hash at Cardiff, Hardy’s H3 was formed in 1987 with the first run on 6th June. Founder was Dave ‘Harvey’ Beadnell-Smith, recently arrived from Cheltenham and Gloucester H3. Around 1989 Dave Stokes and Dave Beadnell-Smith created the breakaway Sub-60 H3. They meet on alternate Thursdays and aim ‘to complete each Hash in under an hour.’ This was perceived as a group for those who want to run twice a week, rather than a rival Hash.
Somerset Hashing is alive and well in Somerset where there are six registered Hashes. Taunton H3 is the oldest and was founded by Steve Johnson and Tim Seddon (ex Hong Kong) who placed an advertisement in the local newspaper. The inaugural run was held at the Anchor Inn, on 8th November 1982, with support from Cheltenham and Cotswold. A committee was formed in 1984 and Taunton Hash celebrated its 1000th run in September 2001.
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The east of England is not particularly strong hash territory although the university town of Cambridge is a noted exception.
Cambridge Updated The Cambridge Chronicle of 1871 reports on, ‘A Good Run with the Harriers’ so the University City can claim a long tradition of paper chasing. The modern Cambridge H3 started in September 1978 when Howard Taylor, an inaugural runner with the Bangkok Hash, placing an ad in the personal column of the Cambridge Evening News. According to the Hash records the first Cambridge run is recorded to have taken place on September 31st 1978. This would have been the first September in recorded history to have 31 days, so the actually date is probably 1st October, The 'The Hoops' was the venue and 13 Hashers gathered. The Cambridge Hash has run every Sunday since and 13 remained the smallest pack until August 1999. Today Cambridge is one of the strongest hashes in the UK. Numbers are high, with 40 on a typical summer Sunday and more for the Monday city runs in winter. Many ex-pats have retired here and in the summer, when some of those still working are home on leave, the pack can be a ‘whose who’ of Indonesian hashers. The countryside and beer are both excellent in this part of the world and the Danes are due to come here for their own Nash Hash! Cambridge also put on a good – by UK standards – circle helped by a fine little choir. Characters at Cambridge include the entertaining Rear Admiral who is a professional hasher (i.e. she runs a pub) Mad Monk who (poor sod) would still look like a hasher if wearing a suit and who is a past winner of the King Street Run (100 yards and 8 pints) and Toed Bedsores who went past a 1000 runs a long time ago. Cantabrigensis H3, the UK's first university Hash, meet at the St Radegund Pub of which Terry 'Bunter' Kavanagh, is landlord/mismanager. This Monday Hash is actually a mixture of Town, Gown, and Yanks (whom they describe as ‘Atlanticly Challenged’). They have a sad reputation for athleticism. Then there is the Wrestlers H3 (founded on 17 January 2002) running every Turd Turdsday of the Month from the Wrestlers Pub in Newmarket Road, co-founder (with Guy Gunpowder Plod Shirra) and GM being Dave Benghazi Sanders. The range of real ale and Thai food here makes up for the runs! With thanks to Gunpowder Plod
Lincolnshire The only active Hash is Rutland H3. This group was originally Laarbruch H3 and based at RAF Laarbruch in Germany. In August 1999 the base closed and Tony 'Bloodhound' Williams re-established the group in England. Starting with small numbers of RAF personal, they opened up to civilians and then changed their name to Rutland H3 in January 2006. They run in the Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire area every Sunday. NorfolkNorfolk H3 has been meeting every Monday (summer) and Sunday (winter) since August 1984. They are an active Hash with lots of special runs.
Suffolk Suffolk H3 has died out but there are rumours of them starting again.
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The Cambridge Choir
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The Midlands
There is surprisingly little hashing in the Midlands and the situation even seems to be getting worst, with some of the kennels in the region dying out. However a Birmingham H3 started in 2009 and seems to be doing okay. Pampers comments ‘I reckon Hull is now probably one of the last major UK cities without a hash’. The editor however feels that dubious distinction must be shared with Blackpool and Burnley!
Derbyshire Updated Until recently there was no actual Derby Hashes, although Sheffield H3 often run across the county border. That has now changed thanks to Ashbourne Harrietes and Harries, founded by Andean Sexbeast and Poisonous Pussy and with the legendary Mother Chalker as RA for life. As ASB explains, ‘Basically I have been hashing with Quito hashers in South America for many years and upon returning home to the UK was devastated to find no decent hash nearby - so though bugger it, will set my own up!’ As the principle founders were female the group is firmly Harriettes and harriers.
HerefordMalvern H3 Hash in and around the Malvern and Worcester area every Tuesday evening.
Leicestershire City of Leicester H3 meets every last Sunday and last Monday of the month. They are particularly proud of their bi- annual Toga run. Quorn H3 meet at a pub every first and third Sundays of the month for an hour-long run/walk in the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire area. They have a small group of Hashers on over 200 runs, led by ‘Baritone’.
Nottingham Updated There was once a Sherwood H3, founded in 1986 when Eakring (1982, 52 runs) and Keyworth (1981, 66 runs) amalgamated. In the eighties they were famed for their love of shiggy but they seem to have faded out and Hashing now only takes place in Nottingham when one of the Leicestershire clubs set runs across the border.
Shropshire Copthorne H3 has died out but Donnington H3 is still active (Summer - Monday Winter – Sunday).
Strafford The Stoke based Potteries H3 meet on the last Saturday of very month. There were 6 of them at EuroHash which apparently was more than half the kennel.
Warwick Lemangton Spa H3 had its first run on Thursday 15th August 1996. They stage two runs a month, one on Thursday evening (horror free zone), the other on Sunday morning (families welcome). Rugby H3 was founded June 2003 with a core of 15 or so Hashers. Founder Fox's Glacier Mint hared 9 of first 13 runs
West Midlands There is a surprising lack of Hashing in this industrial heartland of the country and previous an occasional run from Birmingham Balti H3 has was all there was. however since 2009 a Birmingham City H3 has been meeting regularly.
Worcester Malvern H3 often runs in the county. See Herefordshire.
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It’s tough up north, at least for hashers with major cities such as Newcastle attracting only medium size packs and many hash free zones, A couple of kennels, Scarborough and Yorkshire, are however doing well.
Cheshire Redundancy took Allan ‘Ancient Wood’ Jones (ex Sussex Vale H3) from Brighton to Manchester, where he started Cheshire H3 with five runners in May 1982. Cheshire is a mixed Tuesday night Hash. Nick Thisleton and Tony Ellis have overtaken the founder and are both on over 800 runs. Nick was also noted for his winter runs attracting the attention of the local snow gods. Wirral and Chester H3 came along five years later and was founded by Brain Tudor. Having returned to England from Saudi Arabia, he ran with Cambridge who listed him as Wirral H3. Terry ‘Deep Throat’ Mechan contacted him to join a run, only to find that Wirral H3 was, at this point a myth. However, these two Hash veterans decided it was a good idea and got the kennel up and running in February 1987. CumbriaThis northwest chunk of the country includes Carlisle and the Lake District but despite the possibilities offered by the terrain is hardly a great centre of Hashing. Cockermouth H3 meets once a month and Lune Valley H3 was restarted in October 2000 and occasionally run in the area.
County DurhamThere is little Hashing in County Durham, but the North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough & Tees Valley H3 (NYM TEES) and Newcastle H3 regularly set trails within the county.
Lancashire Lancashire has a long sporting tradition and very little Hashing. There is, for example, a total lack of Hashing in both Blackpool (where their might possibly have been a Hash in the early nineties) and Burnley and for many years local Hashers had to cross the border into Cheshire. However Warrington Wednesday Hash has been resumed thanks to G.M. and founder Brian Grutel. They offer a ‘mid monthly, mid-week, evening Hash.’
Tyne and wear Just the one Hash, Newcastle H3, founded by Finn 'Abominator' Haldorsen in 1995. A medium to small pack meets every Wednesday and one Sunday a month to get a bit further into the countryside. They have a core of former ex-pats who know what Hashing is all about, and a lively program of visits. Recently there has been a habit of going on mass to support Newcastle Rugby team. They also have a great website address www.mud.sweat.beers.net. There is also an annual Hash after the Great North Run. This meets at the Sundial Pub and goes by the name ‘Finally United Checking Knackered In Tyneside’ or FUCKIT H3.
Yorkshire updated Hashing is strongest in the north of this large country. Yorkshire H3 has around 50 members, and typically gets 30 along to a run. Scarborough H3 was founded in 1983, by George Whiteman (ex Hong Kong). They run twice a week, on Monday and Sunday. The run on Sunday is always from the Alma Inn but Monday venues vary. They also have a gourmet meal on the 13th of every month, a Full Moon Hash, and a Drop Zone Hash which runs the day after a Harriett gives birth. 'Because of this lunacy in running twice a week, we have clocked up our runs faster than Linford at a dodgy car dealer, and therefore in 2008 we will celebrate our 2000th run - the first hash in the UK to do so (even though many others had quite a head start on us!)' Scarborough has 3 hashers with over a 1000 runs – led by Adrian ‘Blobby’ Ewart with 1600 plus and another 5 on 900 plus. Founder George Whiteman is 'sunning himself in Cyprus, entertaining a steady stream of SH3 hashers seeking cheap accommodation and cheap Keo, and still wishing he could win the UK lottery next week.' The earliest known attempt to form a Hash in South Yorkshire was a group in Rotherham who decided to form Hallam H3. They planned a run in the Dearne Valley one Sunday in October 1987, inviting Yorkshire H3 to join them. However the same weekend two former members of Port Moresby Hash, Derek ‘Psycho’ Sykes and Gordon ‘Smittie’ Smith were organizing their own run from The Cock Inn at Birdwell and the two groups of runners ended up getting totally mixed up. Hallam ran on for several months with venues all over South Yorkshire but then faded out. A decade later Sheffield H3 was founded by ‘Captain Haddock’ of Kirton Hash and his son, Neil ‘Green Giant’ Gard. For several years numbers fluctuated between three and thirteen but in more recent times have averaged twenty.
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