Boxing day saw the Surrey village of Windlesham host its annual pram race, with everything from Pokémon to Donald Trump invading the pubs there.
The pram race is 3.5 miles long and involves teams with spectacular ‘prams’ stopping at each of the village’s six pubs for a drink. Prams are homemade, with large constructions, such as a fighter jet, on top. The runners, too, are in fancy dress.
This year, the ‘best dressed’ award went to a half scale gondola being pushed around by skiers, and ‘best engineered’ to a squadron of red arrows on sticks.
Money raised by runners with buckets this year goes towards a defibrillator for the village, which has a population of about 5000 people, as well as a number of charities.
There have been complaints from many, however, about the amount of litter left behind by racers, but also the amount of drinking. Many taking part in the race do drink a lot of alcohol, resulting in scenes reminiscent of a rural Notting Hill Carnival between the 14th century church and Half Moon Pub.
The pram race organisers warn riders that there is ‘There is a temptation to over do it on Race Day’, although this perhaps is the premise of the event. Efforts by volunteers, however, meant the village was largely litter free by the next day.
Despite some complaints, this year’s event was a big success, with “A huge number of residents [who] turned out … raising [a] small fortune for local charities and good causes” according to the Surrey Residents Network.
- Thomas Hazell, Hampton School
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