logo
About 20,000 people expected at soapbox race

About 20,000 people expected at soapbox race

Yahoo25-05-2025

About 20,000 people are expected to attend a charity soapbox race on Sunday.
The organisers of the Great Dunmow Soapbox Race in Essex have promised an "action-packed day of homemade racers, wild costumes and roaring crowds".
The event has raised more than £150,000 since its inaugural race in 2018.
For the second year running, a high-powered foam cannon will blast bubbles on to the track.
Lead organiser Oliver Wyatt said: "We have been blown away by the feedback and generosity of spectators from previous events, and we hope to make a real difference to local charities as a result.
"People come from all over the world to take part with their homemade karts and there are bars, stalls and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy. "
The soapbox racers will speed down Braintree Road near the centre of the town - a stretch of road that is 300m long (984ft).
The race is due to begin at 10:30 BST.
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Great Dunmow Soapbox Race

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Race Across the World friends reunite to film but one couple seems to be missing
Race Across the World friends reunite to film but one couple seems to be missing

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Race Across the World friends reunite to film but one couple seems to be missing

The contestants of Race Across the World 2025 – who told Yahoo UK that they're in touch daily – have been reunited to film together. Brothers Brian and Melvyn, as well as Sioned, shared a group selfie on their Instagram accounts on Monday but former married couple Yin and Gaz were notably missing from the photograph. The four final teams were recording with BBC Breakfast host and Celebrity Race Across the World winner Scott Mills to discuss the upcoming final. Sioned explained why only four teams were there on Instagram: "So this is why we were all together again?! Obviously we just had to chat to Scott Mills before the Race Across the World final, he knows all too well about our experiences! If you missed it catch up on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 2 to listen to all of us chit chat more about heading into the last leg." There is also a reunion episode — which airs on Wednesday 18 June — that typically filmed about six months or so after the show has ended where the contestants have the chance to reflect on their journeys together. All the Race Across the World stars usually film the reunion, including the eliminated couple. Already the contestants had staggered arrival times, with Melvyn being the first to get to the breakfast room before filming. Melvyn, teenage couple Sioned and Fin as well as mother and son Caroline and Tom all were around the night before. They enjoyed an early get together before Brian, Letitia and Elizabeth arrived the following day for filming. All of the Race Across the World contestants have all remained good friends via WhatsApp. Behind the scenes, Brian explained to Yahoo UK that they speak everyday. Before filming the reunion, Brian told Yahoo UK: "Yeah [we have a] big WhatsApp group, we speak daily. We are trying to meet up if we can but it's quite difficult to get everybody together. It is tough." He added: "We'll keep trying and hopefully maybe by the end of June, maybe July once it's all finished, we'll try meet up somewhere." Although Race Across the World focuses on the bonds of those in each individual teams, they leave the experience with a new set of friends. The teams have the chance to get to know each other at the checkpoint hotels where they can stay between 36-48 hours before starting the next leg. There they can chat about the experiences they've had along the way and spend time together. In a separate conversation, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia also told Yahoo UK about how "well" everyone got on from series five. Elizabeth told Yahoo UK: "We're obviously trying to to do the best that we can in the race, but we all got on so well and sharing experience like this [bonds you]. "You're only sharing it with such a small group and they understand exactly how it feels when you miss the train. You reach the checkpoint and can relax. We really, really get on and you know, that's so nice. We've got a group chat, we're still talking." The reunion filming comes just one week after the youngest contestants from this year met up at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Liverpool. Teenage couple Sioned and Fin loved meeting up with sisters Elizabeth and Letitia as well as Tom. Reality worlds collided at the festival as the Race Across the World competitors joined forces with Traitors winner Jake and banished Freddie. Of the meet up, Sioned wrote on Instagram: "Big Weekend was definitely BIG. Life is mad. Honestly loved every minute and couldn't have asked for a more positive and amazing experience." Although they are all competing in the race, Race Across the World often sees the rival contestants forming close bonds. Last year, winner Owen Wood revealed they had a WhatsApp group but had become particularly close to Betty and James who were close in age to him and Alfie Watts. He told Yahoo UK: "So we were in a group chat with all of them together. And me and Alfie keep in contact pretty well with James and Betty, obviously because of similar ages. So we speak to all of them. "We've met up with Betty and James a couple of times but, yeah, we all get on really well. We've all been in it together, even though we were racing separate races. But we can just respect what each other's been through. And, yeah, we just understand each other very well." Race Across the World continues at 9pm on Wednesday on BBC One, and streams on BBC iPlayer.

'A homophobic attack brought our town together'
'A homophobic attack brought our town together'

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

'A homophobic attack brought our town together'

A town has held its first Pride event in response to a homophobic attack on a man as he was leaving a pub. Holmfirth Pride 2025 took place on Saturday and Sunday after being organised by residents Hilary Bowyer and Isobel Heely. The festival included activities such as a rainbow scavenger hunt, drag bingo, and an exhibition of queer art featuring local artists. Business owner Ms Heely, said the event was organised after a man in his 20s was attacked by five men outside The Old Bridge on Norridge Bottom on 12 April. She said: "As a close-knit community, we were all horrified when we heard about the incident and did not want anybody to feel like we were not supportive. "We did not want people to think that this is the sort of thing that happens here and we wanted to show it does not represent us as a community. "All of the 65 businesses in the town have got bunting up and people are leaving their mark in the streets with chalk to show that there is acceptance and we are welcoming to all." Ms Heely added the positive response to the event had "had me in tears" as it had shown how the "community has really rallied together". She said: "It has been heartwarming to see such a positive response to something negative. "We've had six weeks to pull the project together to make sure it was ready for Pride month and were lucky to get funding from the parish council and Kirklees Council. "The response has been so great that we're planning to hold the event again next year. "We just want to send a message that everybody belongs and we will not tolerate hate." The attack left the victim with facial injuries after being punched and kicked by the group, who had also made offensive slurs to the victim and his partner, and was investigated as a hate crime by West Yorkshire Police. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Gang attack on man treated as hate crime by police Holmfirth Pride 2025

How social media is transforming wedding days
How social media is transforming wedding days

Yahoo

time5 days ago

  • Yahoo

How social media is transforming wedding days

A wedding content creator said described how more couples are embracing seeing their big day through the candid lens of a mobile phone. Geared with just an iPhone, Beth Denman, 25, and her team take thousands of photos and videos during weddings, which are edited into short form content for social media. She started Social Scenes from her home in Attleborough, Norfolk, two years ago and has now grown it into a team of five. "It's very candid and in the moment... it's the moments that are often missed by the bride and groom," Ms Denman said. She first discovered wedding content creation in 2023, on social media posts from Australia. Ms Denman estimated that, at the time, there were just three other wedding creators in Norfolk. "I thought that I could totally do this. I noticed that no-one was really doing it in Norfolk," she said. She estimates there are now about 20 people providing a similar service across the county. The wedding planning website, Hitched, has reported a 586% rise in searches for wedding content creators in 2025. Ms Denman said she plays the role of the "uninvited but invited guest". "We blend in with the shadows and we gravitate around the wedding to capture different parts," she added. Wedding creators such as Ms Denman work alongside traditional photographers and videographers to capture the big day. Although they may seem similar, Ms Denman said wedding creators worked candidly, sometimes providing content for couples within 24 hours. "I think if people see it as the death of the photographer or videographer, they're getting the complete wrong conception," she added. "Content creators aren't a replacement for anybody... we are an addition." Wedding photographer Ellie Gillard agrees that the services they provide differ. Ms Gillard has been a wedding photographer in Norfolk and London for 14 years, and has photographed more than 400 weddings. "Content creators serve a different purpose in the grand scheme of things," she said. "It's great for people who are very present on social media - the content that they give you are almost instant. "But people have had photographers at their wedding since photography began, and it fits that tradition." She has previously worked with content creators and believes their job is not as simple as some may think. "The growth of content creators means that some people think it's fun, that they can turn up and just point their phones at things," she said. "But there is more to it than that... it's really important that you blend into the day seamlessly." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Wedding venue extensively damaged by fire 'Unforgettable day': The wedding with almost 100 bridesmaids 'Charity shops are about the thrill of the thrift'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store