WORDS OF THANKS TO OUR SPECTACULAR sponsors!

Gittins and Co Our Main Platinum sponsor since the word GO. Ben and Kirsty have expanded their family business this year with the birth of their new daughter Grace and without their support, this event just wouldn’t happen. Awesome work and our thanks to you all at Gittins and Co!

Also back for a second year: Gold Sponsor Daulby Read and in particular their MD Peter Goddard who has worked his conkers off marketing the event generating banner sponsorship, sorting out trophies, and generally getting stuck in, in addition to which watch out for kart 24 Del Boy Read! Not only that, but using his contacts. Peter has managed to collect over £3k from the Insurance Sector!

The Rickitt Partnership Estate agents: this is the second year that Tim and Emma Rickitt and their chief sales-hound, Ralph (who was looking splendid on the day I have to add) have stepped up to the plate with another Gold sponsorship . Last year Tim had a catastrophic kart failure on then ramp, this year he was determined to win with his fantastic racing machine known as RP Racing.

Jeremy Hughes is a local business owner of Nisa and the White Lion Public House in Holt who didn’t hesitate to support our event again this year and supporting our vision of bringing the Holt, Farndon and wider communities together.  Thank you!

Aaron & Partners solicitors : Celebrating their 40 years and in Kart number 40, we welcomed Aarons as our 2023 Gold Sponsors and also competitors with Aaron on the Side of Caution… pipped to the post last year by 0.1 of a second. OUCH!

Thanks to the Wofflers Dining Club of London. One of whose members spotted our event whilst dining at The Hare.. and who have very kindly offered to Gold Sponsor our event!! A really kind and generous thing to do.

Lewis Knox who once again, got behind our event and remained a Silver Sponsor for the second year running

The Hare Pub, Farndon supported us right at the start of the Soapbox journey and have accommodated all our meetings free of charge, and thrown a bronze

sponsorship in to boot.. Thanks guys!

Ellis and Co for supporting us again this year. Thank you!

Alford Apparell Thank you Leesa for the the trophies and sashes and merchandise that was seen on the day at the prizegiving. Weren’t they wonderful? And by the way they have also printed the event merchandise caps that were on sale at the Hospice stall at then School for contributions over a tenner! We still have a few left in stock if you are interested in buying some for those Christmas presents!!

Botany House for once again sponsoring the super energetic and uplifting Karamba Samba band!

UK Drone Services Limited - who got in touch and offered their services free of charge to support us! Have you seen the footage they took of the event on our Facebook page?! Absolutely incredible!!

And then to OUR SPECTACULAR CHAMPION supporters who freely gave their time, support, expertise and materials :

The lovely boys and girls in the orange jumpsuits are the OULTON PARK MARSHALLS who did such a fantastic job of keeping the track safe and managed the scrutinising of all our racing karts before the races began, kept us safe trackside all for free and for brilliant causes! Very well done!

MS Events for sponsoring the video feed and Stage PA systems. Fantastic work!

Kenneymoore for releasing Tim, allowing him to morph into Soapy Tim and to lead the Farndon Soapbox Derby organising team magnificently as Chairman in 2023!!

The Lister Family from Sibbersfield deserve a massive mention: Chris, Celine and Ed, have kindly supplied the hay bales free of charge, and have roped in other local farmers to man the tractors and sweepers and trailers… we just couldn’t do it without you!!

HSS Hire and their local director Steve Gaskell – have supplied all the metal barriers that are so critical to keep everyone safe FREE OF CHARGE!! Brilliant work… Mind you Steve had a lot to make up for.. last year his team DangerZone destroyed the finish with every run.. this year they were back as Ghostbusters in spooky kart number 8.

Ash Waste: thanks for the waste bins that were supplied free of charge! Also racing on the day with the ‘Fastest Skips in the West’!!

Broxton Gates: the start ramp and both the jumps are all courtesy of the wonderful Broxton Gates, designed and assembled by one of the founders of the event, the magnificent local joiner and craftsman Hugh Sym who competed this year in kart number 34, The Dukes of Peckham!

Bellis Haulage for your support and for supplying and delivering the flatbed trailer at the start of the Farndon Soapbox Derby yet again this year. Awesome!

EMS Events: Not only are they back with a kart this year, kart 29, but once again are sponsoring the live video feed, which is being patched through to the school playground. The wonders of good technology!

Local landowners The Barnston Estate and Ed Trevor-Barnston are once again at the event in force showing support with the use of their Industrial Estate and the Top Farm Car Parks. Once again, we could not run this event without you and are truly grateful for your ongoing support.

Julie Herbert-Adams Photography BIG SHOUT OUT FOR JULIE! A one lady band who has single handedly managed all the event PR, social media, official photography and maintaining our website.. awesome job!!

local businesses have also supported us including Bellis Farm shop

Fundraising team from the Hospice of the Good Shepherd

All the village Organising team who have made this happen

Our incomparable compere - Ian Gibbons

Velvet Peony Florists for the absolutely beautiful Soapbox Winners Bouquets! Gorgeous!!

Shout out for Aptitude Gym and their morning workout class to help get the track and haybales set up before the event took place

St John Ambulance

TMS timing

BSB Hire – PA hire

Volunteers on the day helping with the car parks, rattling buckets

Volunteers on the board

All the teams who have made today happen – awesome hard work on the karts and on the costumes

Everyone who has bought banners

Everyone wo has watched.

Farndon social club – car park

Ray Thomas and Chris Route for the use of the Field in Holt for Parking

The magnificent Captain Jack Sparrow and his gang of scurvy helpers! Very loveable rogues!

All the local businesses who have rallied around and supported us with their kindness, time and facilities

And everyone for tuning up and donating their hard earned cash!!

And finally, The Fundraising team at the Hospice of the Good Shepherd

It was an absolute pleasure to work with you in making our first fundraising event such an incredible success.

Our Kart teams who put in so much time and effort to create not only the whackiest, most imaginative Soapbox Karts but also in their own individual fundraising endeavours which have gone such a long way in raising as much money as possible for the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. 

As our compere Ian said on the day, it costs £11,000 per day to run the Hospice and Covid really did have such an enormous impact on their fundraising efforts.  You have helped the Hospice and the people that they serve at the end of their lives, and we all thank you for your generous support from the bottom of our hearts.  

Finally, to everyone who came along to cheer the karts, and to those residents whose front gardens and access were adversely affected .  Without you, the event would never have been the success that it was.  We hope that you enjoyed the day as much as we did and the organising team would like to thank each and every one of you for attending and giving so generously to such a fantastic cause.