Longest-running worm-charming compeitition

Willaston County Primary School in Willaston, Cheshire, UK, has been hosting the annual World Worm Charming Championships since 1980, with the most recent edition taking place on 24 June 2023. Charmers across the globe come together in June each year to see how many worms they can tempt to emerge from the soil (without digging) within a period of 30 minutes.

On 5 July 1980, a local farmer's son, Tom Shufflebotham, collected 511 worms from the soil in a half-hour span. Currently, the most worms charmed record stands at 567, achieved by Sophie Smith (UK) at the 2009 Championships.

According to the International Federation of Charming Worms and Allied Pastimes (IFCWAP), a regulatory body for the sport, competitors are only permitted to use music or vibrations to lure the worms inside a 3 x 3-m (9-ft 10-in x 9-ft 10-in) plot assigned to them. Digging of any form is strictly prohibited.