Hundreds flock to Richards Castle soap box derby
[gallery] About 800 people flocked to a village near Ludlow for an annual day of madcap races featuring home-made carts hurtling down a hill.
About 800 people flocked to a village near Ludlow for an annual day of madcap races featuring home-made carts hurtling down a hill.
The ninth annual Richards Castle Soap Box Derby was held yesterday and saw 38 carts without engines do battle in a downhill race against the clock to raise bumper funds for charity.
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Among the more colourful entrants was a replica Only Fools and Horses-themed Robin Reliant, entered into the race by the Charlton Arms in Ludlow and the Ludlow Pie Company.
Previous years have seen a dalek, the Eiffel Tower and even the Leaning Tower of Pisa whizz down the course on the slopes of Hanway Common. Typically, it takes 42 or 43 seconds to complete the race.
This year's overall winner was the C12 team from Chippenham with their aerodynamic soap box. They were up against teams from Shropshire and Herefordshire, plus others from places further afield including Oxford, the Isle of Wight and Nottinghamshire.
Humphrey Salwey, event chairman, said: "I thought it went extremely well considering the atrocious weather we've had.
"Our gate was very slightly down on previous years but we still had about 800 people there.
"Nobody was hurt thankfully but there were still plenty of thrills and spills for spectators."
He added that early indications show at least £5,000 was raised for good causes.
