Could Belper’s ‘cattle cry’ against Covid-19 get any more muddy?

The Derbyshire Dales are alive with the sound of mooing as residents embrace the animal inside during lockdown.

The Italians hold impromptu DJ’ing sessions into the early hours from their balconies. The Spanish serenade each other with traditional song from their windows…
…and the residents of Belper, Derbyshire, well they make like cows and moo of an evening in a display of community spirit to help fight loneliness and stress whilst in lockdown.

Could a sign of solidarity against coronavirus get any more muddy? It really is moooo-sic to our ears – and it has genuine staying power it seems. We are onto Day 27 of the Belper Moo now and it shows no signs of ending any time soon. In fact, it’s getting louder.

What’s more the bovine-inspired bravado against COVID-19 has caught the attention of the world’s media, all intrigued by the 100 or so residents who, from their doorsteps and windows, embrace their inner animal. To say the media has milked it would be an understatement!

We’re not entirely sure this is what the Prime Minister meant when he referenced ‘herd’ mentality as the best tactic to tackle the pandemic but it gives a sense of collective purpose, rightly raises a smile and, here at Muddy Matches, we are all for celebrating the country life in you.

The bizarre ritual is the brainchild of resident Jasper Ward who told the nation’s media bellowing like a bovine broke the silence that has beheld the town and “made it a little bit more bearable.”

“If you’ve never mooed, you should. It feels goooood!” Ward added.

The BBC called it a ‘two minute cattle chorus’. Other meaty descriptions have come from across the planet.
One resident, an early adopter of the moo, claims it “is the highlight of my day.”

It hasn’t stopped there either. Residents are welcomed to use household implements – dubbed mega-moo-phones – such as drainpipe, hosepipe, water can funnels and even traffic cones to make the moos louder.

“The crazy people of this town have taken to it like cows to grass,” Ward added . “I seem to have unearthed a madness that has only been complemented by this lockdown. If something as silly as two minutes of bonkersness can help, then go for it.”

And now there are reports that the has gone global with international evening mooos being heard in USA, Spain, New Zealand and Australia as well as other parts of the UK, including Essex and Lancashire.

Can the Belper Moo take over world? asks the community’s brilliant Facebook page?
As the UK’s leading online dating service for folk who live, work love the rural life, we think it’s got a chance you know!