If you had to choose between Yorkshire Tea and bed, would you lose sleep over your decision? Well, in Knaresborough (the town next door to us in Harrogate), they love bed so much, they decorate them, take them to the streets, parade them and then race them. No, seriously, they do. In fact, we’re no strangers to taking part either.

Every second Saturday in June, The Great Knaresborough Bed Race brings the whole community together for one great big, ridiculous (and sometimes downright dangerous) race down steep cobbled streets and across the River Nidd. It’s fantastic, quintessentially British and brings the whole town to a complete standstill.

Russ from our warehouse races most years to raise funds for the fire service, but this year he’s going to mind the fire engine and let kids clamber over it whilst some of the other fire fighters race the bed. However, Sarah from the Taylors sales team is competing. Sarah seems remarkably confident – she should be as she and the five other ladies racing have been training hard for this for the last 4 months with 4-mile runs around Harrogate.

Sarah’s team is called the ‘Oatlands Infants Ladies’ and is taking part to raise money that will be split between funding playground improvements for Oatlands School where their kids attend and Yorkshire Cancer Research. You can donate before during and after the event here. Simply search for ‘Oatlands Infants’, click ‘View profile and events’, then ‘More event details’.

Each year there is a theme for decorating the beds and for this Saturday’s 2012 Great Knaresborough Bed Race the theme is ‘Olympic Nations’. Sarah and the Oatlands Infants Ladies are having their bed decorated to represent Pakistan with pictures by the school children and with help from their teacher.

First, the beds are decorated and paraded through Knaresborough at 1pm before the race. Sarah and the girls will be joined by some of the children from the school and there is a prize for the best decorated bed.

“The kids and the team spent three and a half hours in Bombay Stores in Bradford getting kitted out for the parade. You won’t be able to miss us!” said Sarah.

Sarah likes her Yorkshire Tea strong and is one tough cookie who attends Armed Forces Fitness training three times a week… she’ll need to be to complete the grueling course. At 3pm, the race will start. Ninety teams compete which are ranked 1 to 90 according to how well they have performed the previous year – one being last year’s winner. Sarah and the Oatlands Infants Ladies team are number 55. They’re hoping to finish higher this year as they want to beat the dads’ team that ran last year. They’re ridiculously competitive and the ladies fought hard to win the right to race this year.

Each team has six members plus a ‘sleeper’ who must remain on the bed at all times. Sarah’s team’s sleeper is Miss Gibbs, a slight 7.5 stone Oatlands teacher. Teams set off at ten-second intervals and race the 2.2-mile route along the waterside, up a steep hill and around the Marketplace before swimming, with their beds, across the River Nidd to the finishing line in Conyngham Hall Fields.

“We did a dry run a few weeks ago. It wasn’t really a dry run as we crossed the river too. Red hot from running then plunging into the river was a real shock. Really takes your breath away” said an excited and slightly nervous Sarah.

Well, good luck Sarah and the Oatlands Infants Ladies Bed Race Team. Enjoy your lie in on Sunday morning – we think you’ll have definitely earned it. Remember, you can make a donation here.