FOREST of Dean Mummers are back with their seasonal battle between good and evil, played out in a series of local pubs and other venues.

A mummers play is a story about the underdog taking on a challenging opponent in a struggle for justice.

The traditional Newnham-on-Severn Christmas Mumming Play originates from local schoolboy Jimmy Prosser who followed the mummers one Christmas around 1900 and memorised the script.

Back at school, the class was asked to write an essay about what they did during the school holidays and Jimmy wrote out the mumming play.

In the 1960s, the script was given to Dave Blick who revived the tradition for the Forest of Dean Morris men.

This year the mummers are raising money for Forest Talk – a free, weekly, recorded ‘newspaper’ for reading-impaired people who live in, or are interested in, the Forest of Dean, helping them keep in touch with local news and events.

The 10 to 15-minute performance features Father Christmas, St George and a Turkish knight.

You can see the mummers this Friday, December 21 at Littledean House Hotel (7.30pm), The White Horse in Soudley (8pm), The Rising Sun in Moseley Green (8.30pm), The Miners Arms in Whitecroft (9pm), and The Nag’s Head in Yorkley (9.30pm).

On Saturday morning, December 22, the action moves to Cole- ford Town Centre (10.30am), Dean Heritage Centre in Soudley (11am), Taurus Crafts near Lydney (12noon) and The Speech House near Coleford (1pm).

Then in the evening, the mummers will be visiting The George Inn in St Briavels (7.30pm), The Orepool Inn in Sling (8pm), The Miners Country Inn in Sling (8.30pm), The Boat Inn in Redbrook (9pm), and The Ostrich Inn in Newland (9.30pm).