The 59 teams taking part in Pewsey’s four-legged race played a big part in building up the excitement and the buzz in the village for the carnival procession night on September 22.

Last night’s race featured teams of three adults with their ankles tied together racing around the village, with six ‘fuel stops’ at pubs and clubs.

The race was known as the wine race until this year when the name was changed to distance the name of event from alcohol and drinking.

However the teams still had to stop at half a dozen pubs and clubs along the route of the race,  sponsored by Fowler Architecture and Planning, and at each one a member of each team had to drink a glass of wine or, alternatively, a soft drink.

Hundreds of people including local families turned out for the spectacle of watching the fancy dressed teams stagger and sometimes even fall as they hesitatingly tried to run with their legs tied together.

A warm late summer evening provided perfect conditions for the runners who once again turned out in a variety of fancy dress outfits.

There was everything from three Mother Christmases calling themselves Ho, Ho, Ho to Pewsey’s own Roman Legionnaires.

Greek Goddesses rubbed shoulders with Zombies; there were Wag Dolls, Viking Vixens, Bananas on Pyjamas, TV Burp with three Harry Hills and the children’s character from the past Wee Willie Winky (Stella Tannasee as Wee, Anne-Marie Martin as Willie and Alison Helps as Winky.

Race organiser Dave Major said: “We have had almost as many team entered as last year so we are very pleased and the standard of the fancy dress is as good as ever.”

The four-legged race was a precursor to next Thursday’s wheelbarrow race (formerly the Wheelbeero race, again with the alcohol connotation now having been dropped) when as many as 200 decorated wheelbarrows and carts with fancy dress teams are expected to pack the village centre before they set off to race around ten pubs and clubs.

Teams will begin to register and assemble for the wheelbarrow race from 4.30pm next Thursday with a parade of the contestants at 7.30pm and the race starting at 8pm.

Roads through the centre of Pewsey will be closed from 6-11pm for the wheelbarrow race and on carnival procession night, Saturday, September 22, from 6-11pm.