West Suffolk Hospital charity's soapbox challenge in Bury St Edmunds raises approximately £10,000
Families got together and there were smiles all round as over 1,000 people attended a soapbox race in Bury St Edmunds yesterday.
Twelve teams brought makeshift vehicles to Mount Road and competed for various titles, raising an estimated £10,000 for West Suffolk hospitals.
The event, which returned after a two-year absence, was hosted by My WiSH, a charity supporting the West Suffolk NHS Trust.
Onlookers were greeted with a soapbox parade at 10am, being presented with the numerous wacky and wonderful designs of the cars.
Each team would also perform a little dance before racing to try and bag the title of Best Performance.
The West Suffolk Hospital Executive Team knew the word as they performed 'Greased Lightning' before setting off in their rods, being awarded the title by judges.
Races kicked off at 10.30am.
The fastest completion of the course was done by XFighter, who bolted down the hill in 27 seconds.
The team was composed of a group of friends in white hazard suits and Stormtrooper helmets, although the driver wore all black.
Another team who entered were Clarkes of Walsham, a trade supplier, who won Best Fundraiser and were crowned the overall winners of the event.
A spokesperson for the team said the event was well run.
They added: "We had such fun and would love to do it again next year."
A bustling Soapbox City was set up at Priory School where attendees could view the cars and chat with the racers.
My WiSH's head of fund-raising Sue Smith said this year was the best yet.
She added: "It has been two years since the last soapbox event, and we were a bit nervous as it almost felt like starting again.
"We were absolutely delighted with how the day turned out and thrilled at the quality of the soapboxes.
"Seeing everyone getting together - the ability to go back out into the community - filled us with joy.
"We're not just raising money to support the NHS Foundation Trust, we also want to support the community and local businesses."
The charity, which relies on donations, will use the money wherever it is needed, be it supporting patients, their families, staff or putting it towards resources.
One of the teams behind the soapboxes even had multiple enquiries about their business, which she feels is very important.
The event was sponsored by Treatt, Ashtons Legal, Frames Conservatories Direct, Sealeys Tools and Enterprise Holdings.
Each team also raised funds through JustGiving pages, which are still open following the event, meaning the total raised could increase.
Sue thanked everyone who took part, including fundraising manager Sally Daniels who she said almost single-handedly organised the event.
When it comes to the event returning next year, Sue said she was hopeful.
She concluded: "Never say never. It's perhaps a little too early to tell - it's such hard work, but afterwards we think to ourselves that the event was so brilliant and wonder what we would do next time."
