GARLANDS and bells, sticks and sashes - not to mention pins, plasters and knee supports. Morris dancing is not for softies.

The ladies of the Tyne Bridge Morris are a pretty varied bunch, ranging in age from 15 to 57, and all shapes and sizes. What they share is a passion for putting on their clogs and bells and stepping out in a spirited rendition of traditional dances. They do it because they like the discipline of the dance, the company of dancers and the people they meet, because they enjoy entertaining people. And above all, for the fun of it.

"There are different sorts of morris dancing, but we chose clog dancing because we like making a lot of noise," says Brenda Boyd cheerfully.

Brenda is the Bagman, a title that originally meant the person who went round to collect the money, but now treasurer and secretary.

"But I've still got the bag," she says. "It's just that it's full of emergency supplies" - like those pins and plasters, spare tights, hankies and ribbons, cushion insoles and knee supports. Dancing, especially in clogs, can play havoc with your knees."

It also plays havoc with other bits too - hence Brenda's almost evangelical promotion of Sadie the Bra Lady. "Without a decent bra, a well endowed dancer is in danger of blacking her own eyes," she says. Never mind distracting the male audience...

(Brenda once said that a lady morris dancer's idea of heaven would be a good wooden floor and a perfectly fitting sports bra.)

Dancing is hard physical work, which explains why the ladies are doing some very serious looking stretches before they start their evening's dancing. They have been drinking, laughing, joking, Sue having a quick fag.

Then suddenly Paul Bennet is playing the banjo, Dave's on the drum and the ladies are lined up in orderly pairs to make their entrance. Their clogged feet clash the ground in perfect unison, they move in and out of complicated patterns, their new blue skirts swirling, their ribboned sticks waving without the hint of a tangle, the bells on their clogs jingling happily.

The dances have names such as Churchtown, a classic North-West dance with sticks; Runcorn, a dance from Cheshire with hankies; Grenoside, from near Sheffield, danced with garlands. It is the sort of dance people have enjoyed for centuries, takes a lot of Thursday night practices to perfect, and is wonderful to watch - especially on a warm summer evening outside a pub. The audience is enthusiastic and appreciative - another good reason for doing it.

Tyne Bridge Morris started 27 years ago. Many of the current members have been with them, if not that long, then quite a long time, or with Sandgate Morris, who merged with them.

Back then, the women were pioneers. Morris was mainly for men, and many traditionalists scoffed at the idea of women morris dancing.

"When we've paraded into a performance, I've known some of the male dancers at the front come round to the back just to heckle us as we went past," says Janet Goodfellow, the Squire, who is responsible for the actual dances. "It's different now and there are lots of women sides. But there are still some traditionalists who won't accept the idea of mixed teams. Oh no."

And you thought the Church of England had problems...

Tradition is important in the world of morris dancing. All the dances are based on traditional steps and movements. Tynebridge Morris dance mainly those from the North-West of England - lots of clogs, and ribboned sticks, wonderful hooped garlands. But they often adapt them and alter them, so that over time they change slightly. Some of the traditionalists don't like that either.

"Many dances were frozen in time when Cecil Sharp collected them a hundred years ago. But before that they must always have changed and altered a bit along the way," says Janet.

As well as traditional dances - using garlands, sticks or hankies - they also make up their own, within the tradition. Strangely, in Tyne Bridge Morris's case, these dances always seem to be named after pubs, such as Broken Doll or Rose and Crown.

"Though actually," says Brenda, "we divide between the drinkers and the tea ladies. While some of our members are straight in the bar, others will hunt out the best tea room in the area within minutes."

Their latest kit consists of a blue skirt and waistcoat, white blouse and petticoat, red sash, black tights and black clogs. "It has to be easy to dance in and easy to make, because we're not all competent seamstresses," says Janet.

They also have ribbons and bells. And lots of badges, usually from other morris sides. Many of the women wear one that says Nine Stone Toy Boy.

This is the title of a song - think Rhinestone Cowboy and you'll get the idea - that was sung by Brenda Boyd's husband. When he died, 13 years ago, friends made the badges as a charity fund raiser.

Brenda is now with Michael, a member of the Kingsmen, a side that dances amazing rapper sword dances, as danced traditionally by miners in the North-East.

"Tynebridge Morris is sort of attached to the Kingsmen," explains Brenda. "Going out with one of them is like joining the Mafia. Trying to explain the various relations, past and present, between us all, would take a huge Venn diagram and is probably best not gone into."

For most of the Tynebridge Morris side, dancing is a just a great way to get some exercise and be sociable. Becky, one of the youngest members, moved up from Kent.

"My father's a morris dancer, so I joined him. When I came here it seemed natural to find more dancers. I love the social side," she says.

Margaret Nichol, at 57 the oldest, is also one of the newest members. "I really enjoy it. It's all very sociable and I like the dancing, even when I have to concentrate really hard to remember what my feet are meant to be doing."

As well as weekly practice sessions, there are frequent functions and charity events. They were at the opening of Locomotion in Shildon, Gateshead Flower show, Souter Lighthouse...You can hire a morris side, if you wish. There are regular gatherings of morris dancers from all over the country. The Tyne Bridge side are off soon to Broadstairs in Kent for a week's dancing.

Last time they were there, someone with a torch nearly set fire to the garlands until Janet Bennett saw them off so fiercely that Sue almost had to hold her back. That week was also plagued by a virus, floods and a wrecked tent. Yet they're going again this year.

Although the dancers are all women, there are some men in the team - the musicians, Paul and Dave, and some of the women take turns to play too. Jo Smith, a music teacher, plays the fiddle, Janet Goodfellow the recorder.

As well as the bells - tricky to get hold of the right sort - there are those sticks and all those ribbons - they spend a fortune on ribbons. The 26-year-old garlands, although saved from being set alight, are in need of repair and restoration, a job which Brenda estimates will take about 15 hours work per garland.

Then there's the dragon...

Animals are traditional in morris sides. Many have horses. Tyne Bridge plumped for a very jolly looking dragon, who has just - to everyone's great relief - been given a makeover by Paula.

He's now lighter, cleaner, a lot less smelly and has a sort of burka panel so whoever's inside him can see where they're going. Sort of.

"Normally he just bumbles round the outside, talking to the crowd. Children either love him or run away screaming. But now I'm trying to work him into one of the dances," says Brenda.

Blame it on that burka peephole, but judging by one or two swift evasive manoeuvres by the other dancers, the dragon has yet to learn the steps properly...

As the evening goes on, the audience gets louder and more appreciative, the dancers awaiting their turn between the other morris sides, grab a drink, try to achieve an air of chaos. But we're not fooled. When it comes to the dancing, there is no chaos at all.

After they've danced their last set, the ladies relax, massage creaking muscles, and start to pack things away.

The sound of clogs, bells and banjo has faded away into the summer night, but the dragon is still beaming - and so, feet tapping, is everyone else.

* www.tynebridgemorris.org.uk. Tel: 0191-266 1103; www.kingsmen.co.uk

There are many morris sides in the region, from Hexham down to Scarborough, including a number of women's sides. To find a side in your area, go to www.themorrisring.org