The Okehampton Men in Sheds will be taking part in the Bideford Soap Derby once again this July.

The community group which has its base beside the community garden off Fatherford Lane will compete against teams such as the Braunton Bad Boys, RNLI Clovelly and Firebrand Brewing to whizz down the streets of Bideford on Sunday, July 6 in a handcrafted cart.

The Bideford Soapbox Derby has been taking place for since 2019 and raises money for a different charity each year. This year the event will raise money for the North Devon Hospice.

The Okehampton Men in Sheds will be hosting a cheese and wine evening at All Saints Church Hall in Okehampton on Friday, June 27 at 7.30pm to raise money for the hospice.

The night promises laughs and high spirits all for a good cause.

Phil Bush, 76, of Okehampton Men in Sheds, said: “There’s two of us working on the cart for the Bideford Derby and it’s taken us two months so far. The event is absolutely tremendous, last year there were literally thousands of people down the street watching the cars drive down. We’re all very excited for the day.”

The group are currently working on the final touches before the big day on July 6.

Phil confirmed that the driver of the cart will be a younger member of the group and not him as he “doesn’t want to end up in A&E”.

Last year the Bideford Soapbox Derby raised over £25,000 for the Devon-based charity ChemoHero, who provide boxes of kindness to people undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the North Devon District Hospital.

This year the money raised will go to the North Devon Hospice which supports 3,000 people every year with life-limiting illnesses.

The route is a 600-metre downhill slope at 15 per cent with hay bales, ramps and water showers – so not for the faint-hearted.

Phil continued: “We’ve been working overtime to complete the cart before the event. We’re putting an imitation engine on the vehicle, a tank on the back to hold the special brew and some final additions before it is raced down the slopes of Bideford.”

Last year the group created a shed-shaped soapbox which ran the course despite some concerns that it might not make the full run given its weight and height.

Then, back in the summer of 2023, Okehampton Men in Sheds joined forces with fathers’ group Who Let the Days Out to create a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-themed soapbox. The ‘shedders’ built the car while members of Who Let the Days Out entered the race. The team completed the race in 40 seconds – only 15 seconds behind the winner.

If you’d like to come along to the Cheese and Wine Evening, contact Phil Bush on 07508 686689 by Tuesday, June 24.