OVER 1,000 people joined the Sport Aid “Race Against Time” in Southwell on Sunday 25th May. Organisers Bill Johnson, Paul Best, Jim Munro and Tony Warwick were delighted with the magnificent response, particularly as the idea and organisation for the Southwell race was only conceived a week before the actual event.
“It was Bill’s idea” said Paul Best. “We rang round a few people to see if anything was being done in Southwell on May 25th and found there was nothing.”
At 4pm exactly young, old, disabled, mothers with prams, whole families, horseriders, cyclists and dogs set off in their hundreds, walking, running and pedalling to raise money for Bob Geldof’s Sport Aid event for starving Africans. In doing so “they joined millions of other people throughout the world who were running, jogging and walking for famine relief as a climax to the Sport Aid week.
Southwell Rugby Club Colts dressed as Vikings and carrying a long boat collected £107 on their 6 miles run, from car drivers, householders and pedestrians. A total of £1,860 was raised on the day by this, the largest spontaneous event ever held in Southwell. The money will be split between Band Aid and UNICEF, the United Nations Childrens Fund.
The event was started by the Bishop of Southwell, the Rt Rev Michael Whinney and the Bishop of Sherwood, the Rt Rev Richard Darby.
KlRKLINGTON RUN
MRS Pat Walker and Mrs Vicki Aslin organised a “Run around the Green” in Kirklington on Sunday May 25th to coincide with the Sport Aid fund raising runs throughout the world on that day. £170.60 was raised by villagers and friends, many of whom went on to further sponsored runs elsewhere in the area later in the day. The event was very well attended and refreshments were provided by Mr & Mrs Pickering of The Green, Kirklington. Barbara Hall
Extract from The Bramley Newspaper June 1986