THE world of morris dancing is not exactly trendy, but interest in it is growing.

To find out more, I took part in a night of skipping and stick bashing with Chingford Morris Men at All Saints Church hall in Highams Park.

The group performs traditional English folk dances across east London and west Essex as well as abroad.

Considering this was not my usual activity on a Monday evening, I was surprised to find out that it was good fun.

I took part in the ladies' clog dances and the Morris Men's Cotswold stick dance.

The skipping sequences were major features of all the dance routines, and managing the steps in time with everyone else was difficult. Throughout the dances I had someone guiding me and although I was thrown in at the deep end, I think I did pretty well, apart from a few close calls during a stick clash. The men and women in the group have their own dress codes.

Morris men wear long white socks with knee-length black pants and a colourful band known as a baldrick which is worn over their white shirts.

Baldricks are identified with the colours red which represents the sun, green for the land and yellow for the harvest.

In the centre of the baldrick is the Morris Men emblem which represents the river that runs through Epping Forest. The picture of a deer represents the crown county of Essex.

Women, on the other hand, wear white blouses, long black skirts with black stockings and black clog shoes. The Chingford Morris Men was formed in 1962 to encourage the Cotswold dance.

The routines usually include six men who perform with wooden sticks or handkerchiefs.

Women have their own separate clog dances from the north east of England. A special participant in the Morris Men Cotswold dance is the fool, a comical character who adds fun to dance routines and helps encourage audience participation.

The musicians also add a special touch to the morris performances. The live band includes a drummer, two melodeon players and a player of the Lithuanian flat harp. There are numerous theories on the history of morris dancing, most dating back to Tudor times.

People have claimed that the pagan religions may contain the origins while others believe that the dances were started in the North Yorkshire Moors.

The group is truly welcoming and all of the members made me feel at ease.

Andy Walton, 43, the secretary who has been with the group since 1974, said: "It's a really friendly club and it has done a lot for me over the past 30 odd years. We have made friends in Germany and all over the UK through many of our performances."

Linda Rawland, 50, north west clog captain, said: "I started about 20 years ago at another club, and I've been at the Chingford Morris Men for six years. I mainly teach and lead clog lessons.

"It's a good way to keep fit and I love the live music. From just being here I've made many new friends."

Although the group has a majority of older men and women, there were some youngsters from seven through to one girl in her teens and they will be the ones to carry on the morris tradition.

Mr Walton said: "I'm hoping to find more dancers, both male and female. We do need young people, especially young men. The media portrays Morris dancing as pansy, but it is quite hard and strenuous."

Classes for the Chingford Morris Men take place at 8pm every Monday at All Saints Church hall, Church Avenue, Highams Park. For further information visit www.chingfordmorris.org.uk or contact Andy Walton on 8590 3159 (evenings).