BBCWhen Bex Campbell bumps into people she knows in the street these days, they all say the same thing.
“People keep stopping me in the street and going ‘are you mad, are you actually doing the greasy pole this year?’,” the 37-year-old says with a laugh.
Bex is one of a five-strong all female team tackling one of Irvine’s more unique challenges – scaling a 25ft (7.6m) wooden pole covered in grease, and trying to claim the prize at the top – a ham.
The women are the first female team to attempt the task, part of Irvine’s annual Marymass celebrations, in nearly 30 years.
Four of the hardy team meet BBC Scotland News at the studio, ahead of a training session on the poles there. Spirits are a mixture of amusement and apprehension.
AlamyThree of the group – Bex, Ali Wright and Amanda Jean – work with local radio station Now Ayrshire, which is why they all ended up roped into this escapade.
“We’re all on different shows, so we don’t actually see each other that much, even with the station,” Ali says.
“Someone at the station suggested we give this a go, and we thought ‘why not?’. Now there is a lot of panic to be honest. There is a wood fuel supplier locally who made up a replica pole and I went to have a look at it. It has given me the fear.”
The women roped in two others to complete the team, firefighter Lauren Kerr-McGregor and powerlifter and pro wrestler Kara Weir.
“We have been very selective with the girls we’ve asked to help,” jokes Ali.
“You’ll notice they each have more muscles than the rest of us put together.”
A suggestion that the team could be miked up during their attempt was swiftly knocked back by the group, over concerns about what language might be heard.
Gregor Campbell PhotographyThe greasy pole tradition dates back decades, although no-one is exactly sure when it started.
Last year Dillon Green, one of the organisers at Marymass, told BBC Scotland News the ham had originally been the prize so it could “feed the poor of the town”.
“Guys would climb the pole, win the ham and then share it out among the town,” he said.
“Now, when someone wins they’ll go around the festival site or some of the local pubs with the tarpaulin from the ham, and collect donations for good causes.”
Last year the ham was claimed, although there have been years when no-one has managed to scale the pole successfully.
“I grew up in Irvine, and almost everyone would go to Marymass every year,” says Bex.
“The greasy pole is always something that sparked intrigue and you’d go and watch it. I don’t ever remember seeing a female team though.”
Now AyrshireThe previous women’s team took part in 1997, and nearly accomplished the task – local media reported that they managed to get the metal wiring that surrounds the ham off, but then they all tumbled down.
Now this group is discussing the practicalities of the day itself, 22 August.
Bex is starting to look for overalls for them to wear and jokes that they might need shower caps for their hair.
“I’ve known men who would try it but never women – maybe they always had more sense,” says Amanda, who is from Saltcoats.
“That’s kind of the attraction to try it, the fact not many other women have done this. We wanted to show that women can come together, get out their comfort zones, and give things a go.
“It should be a laugh, but I am nervous – I don’t have any experience of climbing or anything like this. My hubby says I’ll end up at the bottom of the pole crying for help before I even start climbing!”
Now AyrshireNews of the team’s entry has brought plenty of support.
“As soon as it went out that we were doing it, everyone was like ‘go on yourself’, recalls Ali.
“There wasn’t any trolls or anything like that – everyone saying ‘you can do it’.”
The team feels gala days such as Marymass, and others that take place across Scotland that are filled with local traditions and customs, remain a way to bring a community together.
“You don’t get the same community spirit you maybe used to, so it’s important to have things like this,” says Kara, who often appears at various gala events for her wrestling career.
“There’s the Sea Queen in Saltcoats I remember going to growing up, but it has been cancelled the past couple of years. So things like Marymass still being popular and still having big crowds, that’s quite important.”
Last year, thousands of people attended various events over a two-week period, from fireworks displays to jousting, and helped bring trade to local businesses.
Optimism is still not exactly flowing through the group though, despite various attempts to scale the poles in Kilmarnock.
When Marymass organisers posted on social media that the all-female team was entering, Bex replied underneath: “Are we excited for it? Absolutely. Will we even get off the ground? Who knows?”
Bex has settled on one target the group should definitely achieve.
“It’s going to be a laugh, if nothing else,” she says.
