View source for Bodgeham-on-Wye

{{Village
|Description=In care of Hackerly Parish Council
|Contact=Joenash
|HideList=true
|Activities=Coconut Shy, The Search for the Bodgeham Badger.}}

'''Bodgeham-on-Wye''' is a village within the civil parish of Hackerly, in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 15 in 2024.<ref>Hackerly Parish Census. Retrieved 27 April 2024</ref> It lies in the south-east of the county, on the River Wye<sup>[citation needed]</sup>, and adjacent to the Eastnor Deer Park. Bodgeham-on-Wye is [[upside-down]].

==History==
The name "Bodgeham" is derived from the Middle Dutch and Old High German words meaning "to knock together", though the historical record is unclear on what, or who, was the subject of the knocking. It was renamed "Bodgeham-on-Wye" in 1931 by the General Post Office, due to confusion with other places of the same or similar name (such as Bodham in Norfolk).<ref>[http://www.ross-on-wye.com/index.php?page=ross_010The_Town&pg=1 Bodgeham-on-Wye: History, ''Bodgeham-on-Wye.com'']. Retrieved 23 November 2019</ref>

Bodgeham-on-Wye is known as the birthplace of saying "I beg your pardon" pejoratively.

==Present day==
[[File:Electromagnetic Field 2018 Aerial Photo.jpg|thumb|249x249px|The Bodgeham-on-Wye village fête in 2018.]]

=== Village Fête ===
The village is known for its biannual village fête, which takes the format of a non-profit camping festival for those with an inquisitive mind or an interest in making things: hackers, artists, geeks, crafters, scientists, and engineers.

Whilst featuring traditional village fête activities such as a coconut shy and a raffle, the Bodgeham fête creates a temporary town of nearly three thousand like-minded people enjoying a long weekend of talks, performances, and workshops on everything from '''blacksmithing''' to '''biometrics''', '''chiptunes''' to '''computer security''', '''high altitude ballooning''' to '''lockpicking''', '''origami''' to '''democracy''', and '''online privacy''' to '''knitting'''.

Hackerly Parish Council claims to provide '''fast internet''', '''power to the tent''', '''good beer''', and '''amazing installations''', entirely organised by a dedicated team of volunteers, though the Parish Council were unable to say who these volunteers were or where they came from.

A local resident, when asked about the success of the fête, said "This is suddenly getting much higher-profile than I intended".

=== Tourism drive ===
In 2022, faced with falling visitor numbers and a deleterous effect on the local economy, Vicar Grimblesby began a grass-roots tourism campaign to encourage visitors to Bodgeham and the surrounding areas. The campaign included the placement of blue plaques to commemorate the many notable people and historical events of the village, as well as the commissioning of a jingle.

== Governance ==
Bodgeham-on-Wye is part of the civil parish of Hackerly, and is managed by the Hackerly Parish Council.

In 2023, Bodgeham was voted the "Least corrupt small village".

==Sport==
Bodgeham-on-Wye has one youth football team, the ''Bodgeham Bravehearts''. When asked about the origin of the team name, Coach Porter said "Braveheart is Celtic, innit? We're near Wales.".

==Legends and traditions==
The Bodgeham Badger, a mysterious cryptid also known as the "King of Badgers", has been reported many times, but never photographed or even identified with certainty. It is said to be about the size and proportions of the average human but with the head of a Badger. Sometimes only glowing red eyes and a pulsing red glowing tail, akin to a bioluminescent jellyfish, have been reported along with a deep garbled growl. All reports have come when it has been dark and never during rain suggesting it is adverse to light and water. 

A grassroots organisation, Bodgeham Cryptozoological Society, has vowed to answer the question of its existence once and for all, and is actively recruiting volunteers at the 2024 village fête for 'The Search for the Bodgeham Badger'.

There used to be many sightings of small mouse-sized sprites, seemingly made of wool, around the village. The local arcane and natural magic practitioner is said to have conjured these into existence while living in the old haberdashery. The locals call these "Ghemotochi" from the word "Ghemotoc", used to describe the small balls of fibers (pilling) that form on fabrics in Romanian, the native tongue of their rumored mother. As sightings of the Bodgeham Badger have increased the sightings of these Ghemotochi has decreased dramatically suggesting that there may be a link between them.

Since 2016, rumours of an underground cult worshipping a mysterious prophet have plagued the village. 

==Media==
The town is served by the local newspapers ''The Bodgeham Byline'' and ''Eye-on-Wye''.

==Climate ==
Bodgeham-on-Wye experiences an unusually wet climate, almost as if it is situated entirely within an outdoor camping festival and thus cursed by the gods for its hubris.

== Cuisine ==

[[File:Union Flag and St Georges Cross.jpg|thumb|The flag of England flying in Bodgeham, in July 2008]]

Bodgeham-on-Wye is known for a distinct cuisine with a rich history. Former resident Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall described the local culinary tradition as "demand[ing] a refined, mature palette". The village dish, Bodgeham Delight, is comprised of potato chips covered in a layer of baked beans and mayonnaise arranged into the form of a St George's Cross.

The local dairy co-operative produces a specialty cheese, Bodgeham Cheddar, in collaboration with the village cheesemonger, ''Wye Cheeses Wye''. It is available in young and mature variants, the latter at home on a charcuterie platter, while the former does well grated over a dish of bolognese pasta. The cheesemonger and co-operative members have come under fire of late for issuing a joint statement on the topic of food safety. The collective were quoted in The Bodgeham Byline as having said<blockquote>Pasteurization? Not one of us here has ever heard of pasteurization. Sounds French! No thank you.</blockquote>

== Local Businesses and Organizations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Name
!Kind
|-
|The Bodgeham Byline
|Broadsheet
|-
|Eye-on-Wye
|Tabloid Newspaper
|-
|Hackerly Parish Dairy Co-Operative
|Dairy Co-operative and greengrocer
|-
|Wye Cheeses Wye
|Cheesemonger
|-
|Barnstable Brothers
|Builders
|}

== Controversies ==
A 2012 public meeting of the Bodgeham town council descended into chaos when the village alderman announced his intention to secede from the county library network. Members of the public made their disapproval of the policy known through the medium of aggressive shushing of the alderman upon any attempt to speak, pelting members of the village executive committee with rancid dairy products, and brandishing pitchforks. Since the meeting, the whereabouts of the alderman have remained unknown, and the investigation into his disappearance stalled without identifying any suspects.

==Twin towns==
Bodgeham-on-Wye has two twin villages:

*🇳🇱 Knoeidijk, Netherlands.
* 🇩🇪 Basteldorf, Germany.

==Notable people==
Bodgeham has many incredibly famous and excellent people of which you have no doubt heard, They include:

*[[User:Hugh|Hugh]], inventor of Bodgeham's famed Egg Mayonnaise-based dish,
*[[User:Joenash|Joe Nash]], once recorded as saying "no village organising this year",
*Abdul,
*[[User:Be7.is|Bevis]], Chief Fire Safety Officer for Bodgeham-on-Wye and the surrounding flammable areas.

== See also==
*Hackerly Parish Council

==References==
<references />

==External links==
[[Category:Villages]]