A BUSY team have been constructing their soapbox cars for Farnham’s first-ever Soapbox Derby.

Richard White and his team at Carron Marquees begun creating their cart in February, in preparation for the auctioning of team tickets.

However, Richard missed out on the auction after tickets sold out in almost four minutes. He said: “We thought we did not have an entry – they auctioned off the places quickly, so we completely missed out.”

It wasn’t until the Herald unveiled our competition to win a final place in the soapbox race that Richard realised all was not lost, with each member of his team buying a paper, totalling around 20 entries.

However, despite multiple entries, it was his neighbour Jenny who scooped the prize.

Richard said: “She knew I would love to do it, so she told me about her winning.

“I was over the moon because we had given up.”

Richard and the Carron Marquee team have not yet decided on a theme, but have made some dubious choices surrounding their soapbox cars. Richard said: “They say you should not use bike wheels for the cart, but our theory is it would be a lot faster.

“But it might not be able to face the obstacles.”

Despite the competition for the entry being over, the Carron Marquee team now face a new challenge – who gets to ride the car in the Soapbox Derby? Around 12 members of staff have put themselves forward to take on the challenge, Richard included.

He said: “A lot of us wanted to ride it, so we are having speed trials to see who is faster around the track. I would love to get to ride it.”

The Farnham Soapbox 2019 race takes place on August 18 on Castle Street, with team runs due to start at about 10.30am. The event is free, but a £3 donation is suggested, with all proceeds going to the Phyllis Tuckwell charity.