Uxbridge Bed Race
VHS Colour Sound 10.06.1984 83:18
Summary: Amateur video record of Uxbridge's annual charity bed race.
Title number: 2371
LSA ID: LSA/3116
Description: The filmmaker visits the establishments of various organisations participating in the charity bed race seeking advance knowledge of their vehicles. With great drama he is turned away from the Three Tuns Public House in Uxbridge, Halifax Building Society, The Metropolitan Tavern, The Queen's Head Public House, The Falcon Public House, The Crown & Sceptre public house all of which seek to protect the secret designs of their racing beds. He sneaks back to The Crown & Sceptre to film and speak with their team members while they prepare their whale shaped bed in the pub garden with the assistance of some children. On the day of the race, various team's beds are filmed being prepared in a cap park including the coffin themed bed of the White Horse, and beds designed as a garden border and a First World War biplane. In Uxbridge town centre some children take part in a fancy dress competition and meet the town crier. The winners are a child dressed as a tree, a young girl dressed as a flower in vase and a child dressed as a daffodil. The bed race contestants enter the town centre led by a full scale Dalek, all the teams are dressed in costumes matching their bed's themes. Crowds of local people watch them push their vehicles past Uxbridge Tube Station, while a compere announces the contestants from local businesses and clubs. The beds line up for the race which is begun on the ringing of the town crier's bell. Along the race route, pubs provide refreshments in the form of pints of beer, the fire brigade hose down teams and obstacles have to be traversed. There's also musical entertainment from Hillingdon's Big Band Explosion and a DJ spinning records. After the race, contestants and spectators visit the local pubs and drink outside beside their discarded beds. A team with a biplane themes bed marked 'Flybynite Airways' appear to be the race winners and are filmed stood by their vehicle.
Credits: Director: M. Leeland
Further information: The filmmaker is local man M Leeland of Park Court, Uxbridge.
Keywords: Charity; Fancy dress
Locations: United Kingdom; England; London; Hillingdon; Uxbridge
Related
Comments
Rayner and Brian Sunden, all of whom appear on the film. I am still in touch with one of the pushers on the Turks Head bed, and still live in Uxbridge.