Thrills and spills as Ludlow soapbox derby returns

The Richards Castle Soap Box Derby in Ludlow took place on Sunday with around 24 teams competing in front of a big crowd.

The first event was organised in June 2004 and since then has raised over £150,000 to support local charities and organisations.

The seed of the idea came from Humphrey & Hermione Salwey as part of the calendar of events in 2004 when Mr Salwey was High Sheriff of Shropshire.

He said: "We've had an excellent day. There have been one or two minor spills and some good times recorded.

"The cars have been more technically refined and people have been learning from each other to make them better.

"It is a competition but we're really pleased everyone will be going home safe and smiling."

The event took place on Hanway common overlooking the village of Richards Castle.

The course was 550m long with a descent of 50m. The gradient varies considerably over its 550m length, meaning participants reached up to 30-40mph on parts of the course.

With chicanes and corners to negotiate it was rarely a completely smooth descent.

The first year of the event saw 14 carts enter the race, several of these were built and driven by committee members who worried that not enough entries would come in.

That is no longer a worry, with teams travelling from far and wide to participate.

As well as the racing, there was also a parade of cars from the Ludlow Motor Club with Minis also on show as well as a falconry display.

There was also a tent where tea and cakes were sold to keep punters fuelled throughout proceedings.