Annual
Sunninghill Fancy Dress Wheelbarrow Race
Teams are
already planning their fancy dress costumes for Sunninghill’s
14th New Years Day Fancy Dress Wheelbarrow Race on New Year’s Day, in support of
the Ascot District Day Centre and organised by the Rotary Club of Ascot.
The Quince
Players, taking part for the third time, are planning a barrow themed around
this season’s panto, The Snow Queen. Spokesman, Colin
Keating, said that they are delighted to add a bit of colour to such an
important local event and to support the Day Centre: “Despite an average team
age of 40 something - edging towards 50 - something,
we still manage to get up after our New Year’s party and blow the cobwebs away.
We have been part of the village since 1945 and the Snow Queen will be our
200th production. We like to take the opportunity to promote our panto. The year before last, our ‘barrow’ was Cinderella’s
coach. To be honest, it isn’t about winning.”
The Charters
Leisure Centre crew (last year’s Blunderbirds) are
there to win. Spokesman, Chris Searle, Recreation Officer at the Centre, says
they are ‘going for glory’ this year. He
joked: “We were gutted not to win last year. Ten months on and we’re still
bitter about those Snowmen!” Their theme for 2010 is a closely guarded secret
but Chris is sounding confident. He added: “It was hard last year, getting up
after only a few hours sleep and a different fancy dress party the night
before, but worth it; it’s for a good cause.”
Although
this is called a race, and there are trophies for the fastest men’s and women’s
times, there are also prizes for the best fancy dress, as well as the team
raising the most sponsorship money. This year, supervised under 18’s can take
part so family teams are very welcome to join the fun.
The aim of
the race is for teams of four ( men, women and children or mixed) to push a wheelbarrow with one of their
number in it, around the marshalled course, which starts and ends at the School
Road car park behind St. Michael’s School, at noon on January 1. Along the way,
there are six stopping points, including three pubs and three other 'fuelling'
stations, where each member drinks a free half pint of beer, soft drink, lager
or water.
Organised
with the support of the Rotary Club of Ascot, the event is the perfect start to
the village year and a key fundraiser for the Ascot District Day Centre. Rotarian
Geoffrey Donovan, Chairman of the organising committee and Chairman of the Day
Centre Benefactors, said: “Last year we raised over £5,600
and everybody had great fun at the same time! This helps the Day Centre to continue
supporting the elderly residents of Sunninghill, Sunningdale and
“The
Sunninghill community is really supportive of the Wheelbarrow Race and the Day
Centre itself. Local businesses are sponsoring
the programme, and providing the raffle prizes. We are very grateful to La Cloche at the
Carpenters, the Dukes Head and the Sunninghill Comrades Club who are
contributing to the event with free beer and soft drinks at the re-fuelling
stations. And, of course, as ever, Ascot Racecourse, our main sponsor,
continuing their tradition of supporting the local community."
La Cloche
owner, Rachid Noui, said:
“We are very keen to support the wheelbarrow race in our first year in the
village. Presentation of prizes and the grand raffle draw will be here
afterwards and there will be a hog roast to warm everyone up. We have suffered
a fire recently but will be open again very soon and expect a very busy
Christmas.”
Entry forms
are now available. Contact: David Mear on 01344
621419 or Geoff Donovan on 01344 627197.