"Are you proud of being an Englishman?"

That's the question being asked by Oakworth Village Morris Men as they desperately seek new dancers and musicians.

They want people to go along to Monday rehearsals in Oakworth or watch performances this Monday in Haworth.

Richard Ashton, the Oakworth squire, said other countries were proud of their traditional dances and keen to keep up the traditions.

He said: "Are there men in Yorkshire who wish to keep the English tradition of Morris Dancing allies?"

He said Morris Dancing was an ancient seasonal pagan ritual for ordinary people.

It is associated with the bringing of luck, the fertility and regeneration of the soil, and the promotion of the cycle of the seasons.

Dances vary around the country, each village having its own distinctive tradition or style of dances.

Oakworth Village Morris Men perform mainly the Cotswold Morris with its characteristic white handkerchiefs, sticks and bells.

Mr Ashton said: "Dances have been passed down through the generations and even today cannot be learned from books.

"In days gone by, competition was keen among the village youths to join the Morris and it was a great honour to be selected to dance."

There are currently more than 250 English Morris teams across the country.

The Oakworth team rehearses on Mondays at Oakworth Methodist Church from 8pm. Contact Nigel Yeo on 01484 650532.

Haworth performances on Monday: railway station forecourt, 11-11.45am; Fleece Inn, Main Street, noon-1pm; Edinburgh Woman Mill, 2-2.30pm; Kings Arms, Main Street, 2.45-3.15pm, Haworth Parsonage Museum, 3.30-4pm; Fleece Inn, 4.15-4.45pm.