Bored?
Don’t know what to do with your weekends?
Come and join Gaddgedlar! We’re always looking for new members and we
welcome anyone who has an interest in Scottish or military history.
But
before you apply, read this page!
People
of any age can join Gaddgedlar but for insurance purposes only members over 16
can take part in combat displays. Anyone
under the age of 16 should join and attend shows with a responsible adult.
There’s no upper age limit for joining but anyone who is interested in
combat should be of reasonable fitness. We
have regular training sessions all year round so there’s plenty of opportunity
to shape up.
Physical
or health impairments aren’t necessarily a problem but they may limit the type
of role you can play within the group. Things
like asthma aren’t a big deal but we would ask that you let us know so that we
don’t leave you gasping on the ground when we should be looking for your
inhaler. For more serious health
problems we’re always willing to work something out but there may be occasions
when we’re unable to find a solution – for example, many castles still
don’t have adequate wheelchair access.
We do have plenty of non-combatant "living history" roles so
anyone who is unable to participate in combat displays will still be able to
play a full part in our show.
At
the moment, around a third of our adult members are women.
Most of our women members fight as part of our shows although we do have
a few non-combatant members. There
are accounts of medieval women fighting (especially defending castles in their
husband’s absence) and even leading troops into battle, although this wasn’t
so common. Because it was uncommon
for women to fight as part of a standard army and also because it’s more
practical, all the women in Gaddgedlar who choose to fight dress in male costume
for the combat.
We
welcome members of every nationality, colour or religion.
Trade links and religious pilgrimage meant travel was more common than
many people think and there's nothing to suggest that people from most ethnic
backgrounds couldn't have been found in Medieval Europe.
Apart from this, we're a modern group who are simply portraying a
particular time in history in a theatrical manner, and as long as you're willing
to dress up in silly clothes then your ethnic background isn't important.
Lastly,
we always point out that despite the fact that the history we portray is highly
political, we’re a non-political organisation.
Each member has his or her own opinions and views, which we don't
discuss, as we’re too busy hitting each other with swords and having fun.
You will never hear a member of Gaddgedlar make a political statement on
behalf of the group.
If
you’re still interested after all that then contact us.
We’ll invite you along to a meeting or a training session and take it
from there. After two months, if
you like us and we like you, you’re in. Couldn’t
be simpler, email
us.