Shrove Tuesday, a fortnight earlier than last year dawned frosty and bright and so the Annual Pancake Race around the Minster was held in perfect conditions; cold but bright and sunny and dry underfoot.
Well before the registration time of 10.30am competitors started to arrive and they arrived in their droves. At one point the queue for registration for the Under 18’s stretched from under the Central Tower, down the centre of the nave and almost to the North Door entrance.
By the time 11am struck and the Pancake Bell tolled the area around the Minster and on the Minster Green was a sea of people, young and the not so young were all eager to watch or take part.
The Mayor Cllr Andy Hampton assisted by the Deputy Town Crier Mel Gudger and watched over by Mike Drewson, the Drummer from the Town’s Militia soon had the races underway. By the close an hour and a half later there had been 37 races with 198 competitors, the largest number recorded since the Pancake Race was re-started 18 years ago.
In the Toddlers section there were 37 entrants across 6 races, the winner was Florence Van Der Feltz who received £5.00.
The First School age group saw 107 entrants across 17 races. The Winner was Albert Van Der Feltz from St. John’s First School (brother to Florence!) He won £10.00 from Martyn and Kathy Curtler.
The Middle School age group had 6 races with 23 entrants. The winner also received £10.00 from John Bunting was Will Tripcony from Dumpton.
The Upper School age group had one race with 5 entrants and the winner was Lucy Tarrant from Ringwood Comprehensive School. She received £25.00 from Ken Holloway who has been a supporter of the Pancake Race for very many years but has now moved away from town
There were three entrants in the Wheelchair Race, two from Streets Meadow and one from Stoneleigh. Hilda Ward, aged 101, who won last year won again and received a large sack of Wild Bird Food donated by Eric and Tina Pope of the Wimborne Pet Centre for Streets Meadow.
There were 6 races with 23 entrants in the Adults races. Harvey Camp who won in both 2012 and 2013 was declared the overall winner and crowned the Minster Pancake Champion 2015. He received the Old Bakehouse Perpetual Challenge Cup from the former owners Martyn and Kathy Curtler and a trophy in the form of a clock from the Stour and Avon Magazine presented by News Editor Marilyn Barber.
Traditionally the collection taken at the Pancake Race has been for the Mayor’s Charities and this year it raised the record amount of £227 for The Minster and The Priests House Museum.
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