The awful rain we’ve had this June has spelt trouble for tennis tournament Wimbledon but it’s also caused a whole mud-load of trouble for Glastonbury.
The festival begins at 11 am this morning when bands will take to the main pyramid stage in Somerset with up to 170,000 expected to attend.
Fans seem undeterred by the weather and the forecast predicting another downpour tonight, and have already suffered from some problems. On site medics have already treated many for hurting themselves slipping over in the mud.
The picture above shows site workers desperately trying to suck out as much mud as possible in an attempt to dry them while Glastonbury Festival organisers have been dumping tonnes of straw and bark onto the ground in tractors in a bid to combat the mud.
A Wimbledon washout and a Glasto Mud-fest; what more could you expect from June?
It’s raining which can only mean one thing. Wimbledon is here.
Day one yesterday and the long awaited roof was already put into action as the rain came down however it did mean that the matches on Centre Court could be finished although the other courts weren’t so lucky.
Day one saw Rafael Nadal and Britain’s Andy Murray through while Roger Federer takes to his Centre stage today.
Wimbledon, takes place from 20 June – 3 July this year and is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. Considered by many to be the most prestigious, it has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877.
We had glorious sunshine in April this year when normally the April showers description is much more fitting but June this year spells trouble for Wimbledon which is due to start next week.
In fact parts of the UK experienced over one-fifth of their expected monthly rainfall in just six hours. And guess where got the brunt of it? Yep, us in the South East. There was rainfall of 17mm recorded in Woking, Surrey from 6am to noon, and 13mm in St James’s Park, London. Heathrow received 11mm of rain where the average total for the entire month of June is 51mm.
The Met Office had warned earlier this week that the rest of June would offer pretty much of the same with spokesperson Barry Gromett saying, “I think it’s definitely a sunshine and showers set-up this week. We shouldn’t expect too much in the way of sunshine.”
While Centre Court at Wimbledon has a roof, the other courts are open to the elements. Looks like another fine year of Cliff Richards singing in the rain!
David Beckham managed to fight back the tears as he accepted a Lifetime Achievement award at last night’s Sports Personality of the Year awards.
Receiving a standing ovation from the crowd full of sportsmen and sportswomen as well as his family, he looked overwhelmed and humbled to receive the award from Sir Bobby Charlton and former teammate Ryan Giggs.
His wife, Victoria Beckham, however, let the tears flow freely as she and their three sons and David’s mother watched from the crowd.
David thanked his family with a moving speech, “Of course, I want to thank my wife and my children. Not only has she given me three amazing boys but the support she’s given me and she is truly and inspiration for me every single day. So Victoria, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz – thank you.”
Sir Bobby Charlton said of Beckham, “‘I would just like to say congratulations to David. He is a very very pleasant person and a good man and he deserves everything that has been said of him tonight.”
Beckham added at the end of his speech, “This year I went to Afghanistan and I saw the bravery of our troops out there. And what they do day in and day out, they risk their lives to save other people. I dedicate my award to the men and the women who are serving our country in Afghanistan. Be safe and have a great Christmas.“
Previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement award include his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, George Best and Seve Ballesteros.
Leytonstone-born Beckham has captained England 59 times and won 115 caps. He has played for some of the best football teams in the world including Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan and currently lives over in LA to play for LA Galaxy.
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