Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Great Knaresborough Bed Race with a motion in the Houses of Parliament this week.
The MP congratulated the Knaresborough Lions on their continued dedication to running the race and raising money for local charitable causes.
The race, which was first conceived by the Knaresborough Round Table in 1966, was highlighted by the MP with an Early Day Motion. The iconic local tradition is now marked on the official record in Westminster.
Tom said:
Traditions like the Great Bed Race are really something to shout about. It’s a real celebration of our living, local heritage. It’s what makes Knaresborough Knaresborough.
I take my hat off to the local organisers who really graft to keep it alive. I’m looking forward to watching it this weekend and seeing the sixties theme fancy dress
It was so much fun running the race last year- I’ve had contacts in London message me about it, desperate to take part in our quirky Yorkshire tradition.
The EDM will; be listed on the central database this evening, the full text is as follows:
60 Years of the Great Knaresborough Bed Race
That this House congratulates the Knaresborough Lions Club on the 60th anniversary of the Great Knaresborough Bed Race, one of the United Kingdom’s most extraordinary community and sporting events, first conceived by the Knaresborough Round Table in 1966 and now proudly run by the Knaresborough Lions; celebrates the event’s unique character, combining a spectacular fancy dress parade in which elaborately decorated beds are pushed through Knaresborough’s ancient streets with a gruelling timed race, stripped of all decoration, culminating in a dramatic crossing of the River Nidd; recognises the tens of thousands of spectators who descend on Knaresborough each year, bringing huge economic benefits to the town and putting this remarkable Yorkshire community on the international stage; commends the Knaresborough Lions Club for raising thousands of pounds for good causes year after year, with each competing team also raising funds for their own chosen charities and organisations, and for their tireless dedication to the communities of Knaresborough and the wider area; notes that the Bed Race has inspired similar events in the United States of America, Germany, New Zealand and across the United Kingdom, a testament to its global reach and appeal; welcomes the special Swinging Sixties theme marking this landmark anniversary, honouring the decade in which the race was born; and pays tribute to the hundreds of volunteers, partners, sponsors and local businesses, and to the support of Knaresborough Town Council and North Yorkshire Council, without whom this wonderful event could not take place.
