Bolney Pram Race

It’s an astounding power that music has, when you can hear just the first few bars and a complete recollection of events come flooding back to you! Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” is associated for the majority (sorry Fleetwood Mac stalwarts, but it is) with the start of the Grand Prix – but for 500 or so people in Bolney last April, it can now only evoke images of The Bolney Pram Race!

Full of colour, fun and sheer inventiveness last year we saw The Magnificent Men, The Morphs, Noddy and Big Ears, Magnum PI, not to mention The Rampant Rabbits and their 8 foot long carrot-pram, and so many more, including Alice and The Mad Hatter in the childrens race.

“And the madness raised £5000 for SERV, a national organisation of motorcycle riding volunteers who transport blood and other fluids between hospitals out of hours.” I hear Posh-Bob Dryer, one of the race organisers, telling a new sponsor over the bar. “The money enabled them to buy another bike and its maiden voyage was SERVs first transfer of breast milk to a premature baby unit.”

This year the funds will be split between SERV and another community initiative, Bolney’s first team of Community First Responders. These volunteers have undergone intensive training by South East Coast Ambulance Service and are alerted to an incident at the same time as an NHS ambulance. “We operate in a 3 mile radius of Bolney” explains James Staples, one of the volunteers, and a contender in last years race “and because we live and work in the community we can often arrive at an incident prior to the emergency services to deliver life saving treatment.” When you consider that when a person’s heart stops beating their chance of survival drops by 23% for every minute that passes, it puts the role of a community responder into perspective. “We hope to be able to raise enough funds to buy a defibrillator, and other essentials for our portable kit.”

So beware… Easter Monday 25th April, in Bolney, is quite unlike any other. The Eight Bells pub is the hub of the day with paella simmering on the decking, live jazz, blues and rock during the afternoon by a host of local talent including the recent winners of the O2 Open Mic 2010, FranClassic. Races start at noon, there are pit passes for corporate hospitality available for £10, and a day of pure entertainment awaits. No wonder The Eight Bells use the tag line “Bolney – It’s all happening”

If you would like to participate as a competitor or sponsor please contact 01444 881396, or go to www.bolneypramrace.co.uk

For more information about SERV please see www.SERV.org.uk and for Community First Responders please see www.bacfrs.org.uk