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T-shirts go on sale to mark 60th anniversary of Bed Race

Tuesday, 12 May 2026 09:08

Matt Walker of Knaresborough Lions models a new Bed Race t-shirt.

T-shirts have gone on sale to mark the 60th anniversary of the Great Knaresborough Bed Race next month.

The special edition designs celebrate six decades since the first event was held in 1966, with this year’s theme inspired by the Swinging Sixties.

The t-shirts have been coordinated by The Knaresborough Lions Club, who organise the event, and are available in a range of colours and styles, including cotton and technical running shirts.

Club members Matt Walker and George Simpson have been modelling the white versions of the shirts, which are priced at £15 for adults and £12 for children.

Organisers say money raised through sales will help support the local community, with proceeds also benefiting the Lions.

The Knaresborough Bed Race, a long-standing tradition, sees teams race through the town while pushing decorated beds and attracts thousands of spectators.

The event will return on Saturday 13th June - and this year’s theme is ‘Swinging Sixties.’

First staged in 1966, Bed Race has spawned other similar events in the USA, Germany, New Zealand and elsewhere in the UK.

A spokesperson for the event said:

“It is great fun, an amazing spectacle and, being held in Yorkshire, a truly serious competitive effort, pitting teams against their fiercest rivals, their erstwhile friends or even against themselves.

“Whatever happens, it is never good enough and each vows to be back to do better next year!”

Each year, Bed Race features 90 teams of six runners and a passenger.

The race itself is preceded by a parade, where, from 1pm and led by the winning decorated team, teams parade in all their finery through the streets of Knaresborough to Conyngham Hall.

Find out more about The Great Knaresborough Race online here.

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