FROM men dressed as babies to drag queens, clowns and Easter bunnies - what better way to spend Bank Holiday Monday than hurtling down the road in a pram?

The leafy village of Bolney has a population of little more than 1,000 people and normally proves to be a sedate and sensible Mid Sussex offering.

But once a year all inhibitions are lost at the Bolney Pram Race – a weird and wonderful annual spectacle that attracts hundreds of people to watch daring, fancy-dress-clad competitors speed around the village in a bid to raise cash for charity.

More than 1,000 people from Sussex and beyond lined the sun-kissed streets for yesterday’s children’s and adult races, starting from the famed Eight Bells pub.

And while some competitors choose to ‘go behind the wheel’ of a traditional baby’s pram, others put their creativity to the test by making specially-designed contraptions including Victorian efforts, Lego go-karts and tanks.

Organisers hope to raise around £10,000 for Dreamflight, which takes young children with terminal illnesses on dream trips around the world, and SERV, a charity that transports blood to and from hospitals out-of-hours.

Simon Morley, of SERV, said: “It was a really good day and made even better with the great weather we had. There were well over 1,000 people there from across Sussex and I think it is safe to say it was yet another success.

“The pram race is becoming a really iconic event for Bolney. It’s good news for everyone who comes to enjoy it each year but also really positive for the charities as well. We raised around £10,000 last year and hope to have raised a similar amount today. Some of the costumes were amazing and you could see the effort people had gone to.”

As well as adrenalin-pumping pram races, punters were treated to music from live bands, bouncy castles and fun for the kids and, of course, plenty of obligatory Bank Holiday boozing.