Teddington community hub, The Enterprise, which hosts up to 20 hours of weekly activities ranging from karate, arts and crafts, music sessions and quizzes, recently put on its annual pram race - which was accalimed as a wheel success!. hosted the annual pram race on Sunday 25 June.

Teddington pram race happened after six months of planning and lots of meetings.

Originally run by The Teddington Society, Matt Campbell and the team first took charge of the event back in 2019, raising an incredible £1,300 for The Enterprise.

The pram race was then sadly put on hold during the Covid pandemic, but this year marked a triumphant return. 12 teams raced through Teddington High Street, despite the 31-degree heat on Sunday, 25 June, completing wacky and wonderful challenges along the way including 'lick a lemon', 'tell us a joke' and 'guess that song with DJ Phil'.

Licking lemons and grabbing doughnuts – two of the challenges on the route.

Donate to this year's pram race

"It was really good, it's a really fun event," said Enterprise and Community Support Manager Matt. "The best bit was right at the beginning of the race.

"We had all the volunteers, most of the teams, staff, families, people we support, different people from the local community…

"Everyone was laughing and joking, the excitement was building – it was a really nice vibe and a good atmosphere".

This being her first year on the organising committee, Team Leader Nora Kerezovic agreed, saying: "What I loved most about the day was the fun factor. Events like this show that we all belong – this laughter is for everyone and this connection is for everyone.

"Plus the community spirit too – the teams were being cheered on in the streets as if it's the Olympics or some other big event!

Michael Condon, Area Manager for Richmond and Kingston, added: "It was inspiring to see United Response leading on all fronts, firmly embedded and integral to the local community.

"I was very proud of the entire team and what a lovely day out for all families.

"I would also like to acknowledge the support of Chantai Jordan and her family, and all those support staff and Service Managers who were not on shift but came out to support the event. True team spirit."

Awards

There were several prizes up for grabs on the day, with vouchers donated by local businesses including Roots Indian Restaurant Teddington.

Best fancy dress was awarded to Senior Support Worker Ross Brem-Wilson who made his own clown costume over the course of several weeks!

Ross the clown popping up throughout the day!

The 'Team spirit' award went to Adrianna and her children aka 'The Groovy Friends'. Adrianna lives locally and said it was 'the most fun she'd had all year'.

From left: Matt, Adrianna and the rest of 'The Groovy Friends' team.

Fun: Teams wore their best fancy dress.

Community spirit

Matt and Nora would like to thank the Teddington Rotary and all the local Teddington traders for their support with prizes and promoting the event.

The race ended at the Teddington Village Fair, held at Udney Hall Gardens. Also having been on hold since 2019, the Teddington Rotary Club made sure this year's fair was packed with lots of exciting stalls and a big stage.

It was here that The Enterprise team met Deputy Mayor, Councillor Fiona Sacks, who shook their hands and thanked them for all the great work they do for the community.

Councillor Fiona Sacks (centre) giving out prizes after the race.

Annie Lamacraft, 81, has lived in Teddington for 45 years. She volunteered to run United Response's stall on the day and has been helping at The Enterprise for almost a year.

A former journalist and PR specialist, Annie's been using her skills and contacts to help spread the word locally about their events and activities:

Annie said: "I'm really pleased to be using my past experience to help them promote The Enterprise. I think what they do locally is so valuable – it's brilliant. I love being there. I love working with young people, talking to them and finding out how they live and what they like doing. The people working there are very committed," she added.

!Matt and Nora work so hard – over and above – and the people they support are so happy. That's why The Enterprise is such a success – because of them and the people on their teams."

From left: Sam and Support Worker Maame Ankomah; Nora and volunteer Annie Lamacraft.

Having been so successful this year, The Enterprise team are already starting to plan next year's race:

"We've had quite a lot of interest for 2024 already," said Matt. "A lot of our volunteers said they want to enter a team this time!"

"It was a lovely atmosphere – roll on next year!" agreed Annie.