The memorial gardens across the river proved a natural stadium for the Sedan chair races. These used replicas of the sedan chair used in the 18th century for ferrying gentry around town. They are not designed for handling at speed, having little horse power, no steering mechanism and no brakes. Strange then that the course was provided by the Ford rally team.
Before the race started the redcoats fired a few volleys from their muskets.
Then the sedan racing got into action. The reigning champions Cockermouth Mountain rescue had a close race with the Georgian Clooneys but won despite having ran once as a demonstration. They continued winning despite being in nearly every heat and once more took the trophy.
One of the unwritten rules of the race is to keep hold of the chair when running to avoid spilling the contents, however, no damage was done.
It was a good to see the young army cadets get up and finish.
The stars of the race were the mad moms who pushed the mountain rescue team very close and only lost due to the wind resistance of their hairstyles.