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21
Oct
Harrogate set to get soapbox derby next year
Harrogate Town Council is set to bring a soapbox derby event to the streets of Harrogate at a cost of £45,000 next year.
Krazy Races, which already hosts race meets in Sheffield, Crewe and Telford, would be paid to organise the event, which would see teams create handcrafted soapboxes to race against each other while raising money for charity.
According to the organisers, the events attract up to 20,000 spectators and help to “boost footfall, transform high streets, and bring communities together”.
In a report due before the town council’s culture, events and heritage committee next week, Paul Forster, events lead at the authority, said the idea to host a soapbox derby was chosen over a 1940s-themed event as officers had identified 29 other 1940s events in the UK during the year.
According to the report, the race would start at Montpellier Hill, continue down past the Crown roundabout and end on Crescent Road.
The proposal would also see a “principle events village” created on either West Park Stray or Crescent Gardens, which would include food and drink traders, entertainment, commentary and family activities.
A funfair and trader stalls could also be located around the war memorial, Mr Forster said, and a big wheel could provide "a prominent visual attraction" for the race, subject to site suitability and necessary permissions.
Meanwhile, an area of the Stray opposite the West Park United Reformed Church is being considered for team holding, vehicle assembly and complementary activities.
A Krazy Races event in Crewe. Picture: Krazy Races.
Mr Forster said the event would be a one-year pilot and had the potential to establish an event with the profile of the Knaresborough Bed Race.
He said:
The comparison is not that the events are identical, but that both can combine local identity, eccentricity, competition, strong value appeal and widespread community involvement.
A Harrogate soapbox derby would give the town a distinctive event of its own, capable of generating anticipation before race day and creating a memorable spectacle.
The race would be free to watch for spectators, Mr Forster added, and would help to give Harrogate a "large scale participatory event not currently associated with the town".
Race cost
The cost of the race, which is expected to be £45,000, would be shared between the town council, an unnamed local business, Harrogate Business Improvement District and North Yorkshire Council.
According to the report, the town council, North Yorkshire Council and Harrogate BID would contribute £12,500 each and the unnamed firm had “verbally agreed” to pay £5,000. The remaining £2,500 would be sourced from business sponsors.
Mr Foster said this approach would help to limit the “financial exposure” to each organisation and “provide a clear, achievable funding model for the one-year pilot”.
He added that the town council, North Yorkshire Council and the BID would act as host partners, while businesses would be the fourth partner group through sponsorships.
A date of September 10, 2027, has been earmarked for the race.
Councillors on the town council’s culture, events and heritage committee will be asked to agree to proceed with the event, including procuring a specialist event provider, at a meeting on October 28.
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