Morris dancers will have an early start on May Day to welcome in the summer.

Watford's Woodside Morris Men will begin dancing at dawn in Cassiobury Park on Sunday, May 1.

They will meet by the bridge over the River Gade at the north end of the park at 5am.

Woodside Morris Men was formed in 1957, their roots stretching back to the members of the Phoenix folk club, based in Woodside Park, Finchley.

They moved to Watford in the mid 1960s, dancing predominantly at pubs in the Watford, Hemel Hempstead and Rickmansworth area.

The group dance throughout the year at local events and folk festivals, and practice each week at the The Pump House in Lower High Street.

The club currently has 14 members, including one from Newport Pagnell, and the longest serving Dave Pearse has been a member since 1972.

Morris dancing involves teams of dancers - often wearing hats and bells on their legs - wielding handkerchiefs, sticks or swords, to the accompaniment of folk music.

It dates back centuries, though its origins are unclear.