This is a film of the first Lock Lane Pram Race in Castleford, a fun charity event held annually for several years in the early 1960s. The film shows the race from beginning to end, with a commentary by the filmmaker, Eric Bolderson, explaining the origins of the race. Title - The Annual Pram Race 1960 The film begins outside the Griffin Inn pub, where a crowd of people have gathered, many in fancy dress. The commentator states that it is one of several races in the 1960s, organised by some...

This is a film of the first Lock Lane Pram Race in Castleford, a fun charity event held annually for several years in the early 1960s. The film shows the race from beginning to end, with a commentary by the filmmaker, Eric Bolderson, explaining the origins of the race. Title - The Annual Pram Race 1960 The film begins outside the Griffin Inn pub, where a crowd of people have gathered, many in fancy dress. The commentator states that it is one of several races in the 1960s, organised by some of the local lads. Three men are wearing Chinese style hats, another wears a bandanna and tights. Another man has a Groucho Marx style moustache and glasses and sporting a rosette. A group of housewives look on from across the road. A group of prams are ready for the off, and the participants are stood with numbers on. The commentator states that the idea for the pram races came from some local people who decided to raise money for victims of polio who they knew. The original plan was, after having a pint in their local in Lock Lane, to swim up river to the Boat Inn, at Allerton Bywater, have a pint there and swim back. A group of men, mostly in cloth caps, are shown standing outside the Boat Inn. The commentator goes on to say that: however, before they put on this charity raising event, they were warned by the police that there would be summonses as it was illegal to swim in the river. So instead they organised a pram race. A man is making last minute repairs to a pram. Three well-dressed women arrive, wearing rosettes, who walk around the watching spectators with collecting tins. Some of the prams have children in. A group of police men are looking on, joined by a woman police officer. The contestants make their way in a line up the road. The contestants are mainly men, but there are also some women. One woman in a colourful dress has bananas and other garden produce in her pram. The locals are stood along the pavement watching. Prams are loaded onto the back of a van for transportation to the start at the Boot and Shoe Inn on the A1. A woman holds a pair of rolling skates, and people are shown making their donations. More prams are loaded onto the back of a lorry to go to the staring venue. A man wearing a women's night attire runs to join it. A boy and a girl sit on a doorstep and are eating ice jubblies. A man pushes a pram not entered into the race. The film shows some of the people waiting for the race to arrive. A banner fixed to a gate to a field declares: 'Pram Race starts here Sunday next at noon'. A woman stands in the doorway of the Boot and Shoe pub. A line of men, one 'Happy Harry' ('member of B.P.A.'), stand with blackboards giving the odds for the contestants. A woman places a bet. 'Happy Harry' has Jeff Page and Peter Parker as joint favourites at 5/2. A group of boys look on. One man takes off his shirt and puts it on one of the contestants. A placard has a list of rules, one of which reads 'No towing allowed'. Two of the women participants are wearing grass skirts. The contestants come out of the pub and make their way to the start. Each contestant is timed at the start and at the end to determine the fastest. They set off at intervals one at a time, watched by a crowd, some of whom do some mickey taking. They are shown making their way along a long tree lined road. One has a swig of beer on the way. They walk past fields with cars passing by. A motorcycle and sidecar is parked up by a road junction where they turn left. As someone knocks in a post for the route, two contestants are sat in their prams having stopped for a rest and a drink of beer. One route sign is stuck into a road drain. On a downhill section some are accompanied by cyclists and scooters. The two women in grass skirts go by and there is a sign for 'Castleford' and for 'Pram Race Finish'. A group of men are having a beer outside a pub, where a large group of children are waiting for the contestants to start arriving. A man dressed in Victorian dress and high heels comes past with a newspaper bag over his shoulder. A small girl speaks into a microphone and gets applause. A band in fancy dress playing home instruments arrives at the pub. Waiting also is the local Carnival Queen from Allerton. The women in grass skirts arrive, followed by the motorcycle and sidecar and the first of the contestants, applauded by the onlookers lining the street. More follow in quick succession. The Carnival Queen is sitting with four younger girls in yellow dresses. The street outside the pub is crowded. The timekeeper tallies up the results. Everyone looks to be having a good time as they wait for all the contestants to arrive. The Carnival Queen hands out prizes to the first three, who pose for the camera showing off their medals. The women in grass skirts show their legs, and the chief steward raises a glass. The winner, in women's underwear, relaxes on his pram. He is stroked by the two women in grass skirts who pour him a beer which he then knocks back in one go. The End