THERE wasn't a horse in sight, but a record number of teams and runners turned out for the 21st annual Rotary Horseless Team Event at Badminton.

Honours went to a team from Nationwide building society in Swindon, which scooped the business trophy, while teams from the military swept the board in other events.

The Immortals from Nationwide were among 1,352 runners who negotiated the challenging fences and water jumps at the world-class show jumping course on Sunday.

The annual event raises money for charity and competitors either walk or run a five or nine-mile course, negotiating the famous Badminton fences normally jumped by riders on horseback.

This year an expected £20,000 was raised, taking the Rotary Club of the Cotswolds' appeal past the £250,000 mark. As well as serious athletes and teams, families with children as young as six took part in the event, some with dogs on leads. Before lining up at the start, nine teams of competitors in a variety of outlandish costumes came forward to be judged for the fancy dress trophy by the owner of Badminton Park, The Duke of Beaufort.

There was strong competition from the Redskins (Cheltenham Triathlon Club), the Frolicking Fillies from Corsham and a number of fairies in different forms, before the trophy was presented to 'Badminton' from Sir William Romney's School in Tetbury, who were disguised as racquets, net and a shuttlecock.

Allan Collins, chairman of the horseless team event committee, said: "This was a record year for competitors, largely due to the unprecedented publicity we received from both local newspapers and television.

"The weather was fine to start, with a few spats of rain on the way round, and then it lashed down towards the end when we were posting the results.

"But that didn't deter people and, instead of posting the results in full on the day, we are putting them on our website www.rscs.co.uk this weekend.

"The water levels in Carisma pond and at the lake were higher than normal so competitors got rather wetter than usual, but even so everyone enjoyed the event and most vowed to return next year."

After individual race winners were presented with plaques, Nationwide was presented with the trophy in the business team category of the race, while military teams scooped trophies across the board in all the other team events.

The 11 Signals regiment based at Blandford won the five-mile men's event, the five-mile girls' and boys' races, while the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst won the five-mile women's event.

The nine-mile men's race and the overall services' trophies went to the 17 Port Maritime regiment, based in Southampton.

Competitors must now collect their sponsorship money as soon as possible, send half to the charity of their choice and the remainder to the Rotary Club for presentation to The Myasthenia Gravis Association; the renal unit at Gloucester Royal Hospital; Bristol Area Stroke Foundation and Rotary charities.

With everyone's help, the £25,000 mark raised for charity since 1984 could be reached through the 21st Rotary Horseless Team Event.

A vintage tractor display, sideshows and a refreshments tent, which was provided by the Brinkworth Scouts, also helped amuse the crowds of spectators who turned up to watch the event.

And a share of the funds, once all the money has been collected, will be given to other groups who helped out at the event including the Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire Red Cross and the Air Training Corps units from Malmesbury.