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10
Jun
'All a bit kamikaze, but quite special' – why its chief organiser loves Knaresborough Bed Race
One of the biggest days in the district’s cultural calendar is almost upon us, and we’ll soon be treated to the sight of 90 wheeled contraptions being pushed at high speed through the streets – and river – of Knaresborough.
Getting everything sorted for the Great Knaresborough Bed Race is a major logistical challenge, but its chief organiser is not worried. Jatinder Singh Kalsi is chairman of Knaresborough Lions Club and this will be the second Bed Race he’s helmed.
He told the Stray Ferret:
We started planning for this year’s race as soon as the last one was over, and I’m really confident it’s going to be even better than last year. So I’m not nervous – I'm really excited. And I’m hoping for some dry weather.
The 2025 Bed Race took place in glorious sunshine. Hopefully this year's will be the same.
Weather set fair
Forecasts vary between providers and change as more data comes in, but at the time of writing, things were set fair: cool and dry, with a bit of sunshine, although the pollen count could be high.
In other words, near perfect conditions, not only for the runners’ comfort, but also potentially for their health.
For the last few years, participants have been told to keep their mouths shut and their heads above water to avoid ingesting any, as it contains nauseatingly high levels of pathogens such as E. coli, which can make swimmers ill.
Jatinder said:
If it’s not rained much for a long time, then the water quality goes down. By that measure, we should be OK. But it goes both ways – if there’s too much rain it can wash things into the river, so we need just the right amount: not too much or too little.
Water quality is something we do monitor and if it was unacceptable we wouldn’t continue with the river crossing.
The tricky river crossing
4am start
The state of the Nidd is just one of a multitude of things Jatinder and his team of organisers have to keep tabs on, which is why he’ll be making an early start on Saturday morning.
He said:
I’m up at 4am and out on the road at 6am, putting up the barriers and making sure the health and safety plan that North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council have approved is being adhered to.
The logistics are quite complex. We’ve got to shut the whole town down – there are four road closures – and then open it all back up again. So we have 1,000 barriers, and they need to be put up and taken down all in one day.
After the race, the roads are re-opened by 4.30 or 5pm, and then there’s a lot of tidying up to do at Conyngham Hall. We hire three vans just for the gazebos and tents.
We finish by 7 or 8pm, and then we’re back on Sunday, collecting litter and taking equipment – such as Bed Race flags and catering equipment – back to our storage facility in Clint.
Then we’ll start organising next year’s event pretty much straight away.
About 1,000 barriers are needed on the day of the Great Knaresborough Bed Race.
It’s a huge exercise in event management with a lot of moving parts, and Jatinder estimates that if it were run on purely commercial lines it would cost well over £100,000 to stage.
Volunteer-led
The fact that it doesn’t is largely due to the huge numbers of local people who give up their time free of charge. Jatinder, for example, takes three days off over the Bed Race weekend, devoting them entirely to the event.
But even though more than 250 volunteers help out on the day, Knaresborough Lions Club is always on the lookout for more.
Jatinder said:
We can always do with more volunteers. Just go to the Bed Race website and click on the link.
The fact is, we couldn’t do without any of the people who contribute to the Bed Race, because the costs go up every year. There are more barriers needed, as well as security, toilets, bins, hospitality for the sponsors – the list goes on. Last year, the outgoings came to £80-90,000, and we made just £800 profit.
This year, we’ve also had a donation from the Mayor’s Fund, which is the first time we’ve had that kind of funding.
We’re also helped by the Scouts and Air Cadets, Knaresborough Town Council, the mayor York and North Yorkshire, Rotary, Revolution, the rescue divers and our sponsors. Funding is difficult for any charity event, so we’re very grateful to all of them.
The Air Cadets are one of many groups that help out on the day.
'I love it'
There won’t be many changes this year – new technology to make sure digital communications don’t buckle under the strain, but no deviations from the usual route.
Given that he’s a busy man – a structural engineer who runs his own company – you might think Jatinder would have enough on his plate, so why does he do it?
He said:
Because I love it. All the charities come together to put it on, but it’s a day for the hospitality sector as well. Some of the bars and pubs have their best day of the year on Bed Race day.
It’s very important to have events like this that bring the community together, benefit business, and raise money for charity.
I’ve always been keen on supporting charity, and I think the Lions have a very good ethos.
But more than anything, it gets people out of their normal lives. Shutting down the town and having 90 beds race around the steep streets and through the river is all a bit kamikaze, but it’s quite special!
Hard going up Castle Ings. Photograph: Charlotte Gale Photography
The 60th anniversary Great Knaresborough Bed Race will take place this Saturday, June 13. The beds – along with the 630 runners and passengers – will gather in the castle grounds from 9am, the parade steps out at 1pm, and the race will start at 3pm.
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