Organisers and Jobsworths nearly bugger up Pram Race!

As you can see, early doors, no problems, the RNLI Hastings Lifeboat Pram Race team get together to take on the rest of Hastings (thanks to them for the photograph)!

But the organisers, and these 2 jobsworths, had buggered up somehow, who knows how or why? The Pram Race has been going on for years without problems, but here, in Rock-a-Nore Road, and up at the top of All Saints Street, there were barriers, consequently, stopping prams going down to the Dolphin Inn, one of the pubs competitors have to visit, and stopping them going down/up All Saints Street and across The Bourne to the High Street, which competitors have to cross to visit pubs/bars! 

OK, the road needs closing off to traffic, but the main road WAS closed off, no-one could get into Rock-a-Nore Road, and, if you wanted to stop vehicles leaving Rock-a-Nore Road, why not place a barrier the other side of the Dolphin? Beggers belief!! And, why oh why close off the top of the ONE WAY All Saints Street? Absolute madness and, frankly, incompetence! Complaints have been made...

Anyway, back to the relative tranquility of the start of the Pram Race start, and it was declared, by Tush I believe (I could hear him, not see him when he made the announcement), there was a record number of entrants, 55 teams, excellent! More photographs at the start... 

Outside The Cutter

At the bottom of the High Street 

Anyway, the going got going, and the teams got going too, and, eventually, the jobsworths allowed prams through to the Dolphin, though a dozen or so of the leaders couldn't get through, so shouldn't really have been allowed to have their competition slip signed, but why should the organisers and jobsworths ruin the event for the competitors, and the evening for the rest of us? So they were signed (those later teams could put in protests maybe?) and the event carried on despite their incompetence... 

The best thing of all was, 55 teams, very many spectators and drinkers, much drinking and merriment, yet no trouble (eg, in this photograph, a rival team returns the Lifeboat pram after nicking it!) and, perhaps, eventually, one of the best Pram Races yet! Just make sure you sort it out for next year organisers!!