Participants take part in the annual cheese rolling at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire (Ben Birchall/PA) - (PA Archive)
In the face of wars and worrying headlines, the wild, wacky and often just plain wonderful spirit of Britons continued to shine through over 2025.
Here is a selection of images from some of the more unusual occasions that took place throughout the country this year.
The Jarl Squad take part in the torch procession through Lerwick on the Shetland Isles during the Up Helly Aa festival. Originating in the 1880s, the festival celebrates Shetland’s Norse heritage (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Archive)May also saw daring participants take part in the annual cheese rolling at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)The women’s race at Cooper’s Hill (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)Members of the Pentacle Drummers perform in front of a burning wicker man depicting a Roman Gladiator Retiarius, celebrating Beltain and the Roman festival of Floralia, during the Beltain Celtic Fire Festival in Hampshire (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Archive)The fire festival took place at Butser Ancient Farm, near Waterlooville in May (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Archive)In July a mural of former England football manager Sam Allardyce appeared in Union Street in town centre of his home town of Dudley in the West Midlands (Matthew Cooper/PA) (PA Wire)The players created a splash as they fight for the ball (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Wire)Winner Nellie after crossing the finish line (Anthony Devlin/PA)The traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator’s Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife is always a messy display (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)The foam fight is the culmination of a weekend of festivities where first years say thank you to their more senior student ‘parents’ for mentoring them (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)Cake artist Emma Jayne’s life-size replica of Michael Jackson was a real Thriller at the Cake International show at the NEC in Birmingham in October, just in time for Halloween (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)Edenbridge Bonfire Society began the tradition of burning giant effigies in the mid-1990s (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)EMBARGOED TO 2200 SUNDAY NOVEMBER 30Andrea Middlemiss (left) and Christine Wilson, members of the King’s Foundation Sewing Bee group, which created Christmas stockings using curtains repurposed from the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, hold some of the stockings at Dumfries House, which is part of The King’s Foundation near Cumnock, Ayrshire. The stockings will be sold at auction to raise funds for the charity. Picture date: Tuesday November 25, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Andrew Milligan/PA WireA dog takes part during the Rescue Dogs of London and Friends Christmas Jumper Parade, in central London (Jeff Moore/PA) (PA Wire)
