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All-female team to attempt Irvine's greasy pole challenge after 30 years

Five women are set to become the first all-female team in nearly 30 years to attempt scaling a 25ft greasy pole at Irvine's annual Marymass celebrations.

  • The team of five women will attempt to scale a 25ft (7.6m) wooden pole covered in grease.
  • The prize for reaching the top of the pole is a ham.
  • The last all-female team to attempt the challenge was in 1997.

An all-female team of five is preparing to tackle Irvine's traditional greasy pole challenge as part of the annual Marymass celebrations. The team will attempt to scale a 25ft (7.6m) wooden pole covered in grease, with the prize at the top being a ham.

Bex Campbell, 37, is one of the five women, alongside Ali Wright, Amanda Jean, firefighter Lauren Kerr-McGregor, and powerlifter and pro wrestler Kara Weir. Three of the group, Bex, Ali, and Amanda, work for local radio station Now Ayrshire.

This marks the first time an all-female team has attempted the task in nearly 30 years, with the previous women's team having participated in 1997. The team has been practising at climbing centres and using poles at a dance and burlesque studio in Kilmarnock.

The greasy pole tradition dates back decades, with the ham originally intended to feed the town's poor. Today, winners often collect donations for good causes with the ham's tarpaulin.

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