Do you remember those black rubber-soled canvas trainers you wore in primary school PE classes? Well, it might surprise you to learn that what you called them isn’t what everybody else did.
I called them ‘plimsolls’, as do most people in south eastern England and the East Midlands, with usage of the word peaking in Norfolk, where 91% use the term. But in North West England and the West Midlands, they are normally called ‘pumps’, while many in the West Country and South Wales refer to them as ‘daps’.
Scotland has a wide range of terms for the school hall trainer, including sandshoes (25% of Scots use), gym shoes (23%), and gutties (9%).
It’s fascinating to see how these terms vary across different regions in the UK. You can explore the interactive map to find out where people use the same term you did for school canvas trainers.
## Regional Variations
– **Plimsolls**: South eastern England and the East Midlands
– **Pumps**: North West England and the West Midlands
– **Daps**: West Country and South Wales
– **Sandshoes**, **Gym shoes**, and **Gutties**: Scotland
## Explore Further
Check out the [YouGov article](https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/52768-plimsolls-pumps-or-something-else-what-do-britons-call-school-canvas-trainers) to learn more about the survey and its findings.