All aboard! Crafty Craft race pulls in the crowds

Eyes on our horizon of pictures from town tradition

NEWBURY’S renowned Crafty Craft race drew huge crowds on Bank Holiday Monday – and raised £5,000 for good causes.

The annual spectacular, which has featured in national television programmes, has been organised by Newbury Round Table since 1976.

The theme this year was Uniforms All The Way – and the traditionally eccentric entries didn’t disappoint.

The race started at The Dundas Arms, Kintbury, at 8am and first past the finishing post at Victoria Park in Newbury was the Savernake Explorer Scouts team.

A madcap array of craft followed, including a bicycle-powered team named Entente Cordiale and Berkshire Youth charity’s Midwife Crisis, which won the best adult craft award for the third year in a row.

After a brief downpour shortly after noon, the sun broke through again.

One of the organisers, Newbury Round Table member Marcus Franks, said: “It was another great day this year, despite the rain. We will have raised at least £5,000 which will be donated to local groups and charities throughout the year.”

He added: “We were able to donate £3,500 from last year’s event to each of the following – Dingley’s Promise, The Rosemary Appeal and Newbury and Thatcham Handibus – and presented cheques on the day.

“Thank you to the volunteers of Newbury Round Table, all the other volunteer marshals, those teams who took part and everyone who came on the day to enjoy the activities, rides and music in the park.”

Fellow Round Tabler and former mayor of Newbury, Garry Poulson, said he remembered participating in the event as a youngster in the 1970s.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Round Table organisation, visit www.roundtable.co.uk

See and order our pictures of the event here http://newburyweeklynews.zenfolio.com/p858459278

The results are as follows:

Fastest Adult (paddled): The Breakouts

Fastest Junior Team: Blazing Paddles

Fastest Corporate Team: NI Seals (National Instruments). They also won the Spirit of Crafty Craft award for their support over many years participating in the event.

Best Adult craft: Midwife Crisis (Berkshire Youth)

Best Junior Craft: Kintbury Krafty Krafters

Fastest pedalled craft: Entente Cordiale

Special award: Just Bobbin About, two members of whom were competing in memory of their father who died recently.