Madness hit the streets of Headington as teams hurtled around in fancy dress.
Locals, used to the antics seen in the annual fundraising stretcher race, took it all in their stride, but tourists and visitors could be forgiven for taking a second glance.
Teams of racers dressed as bees, coal miners, flowerpot men and Incredible Hulks careered around the streets at full tilt before nipping into pubs along the route for a quick half to quench their thirst.
A record 39 teams from pubs, clubs and businesses all over Oxfordshire entered the 1982 race, which was organised by fireman Kerry Bunt.
The fun began at lunchtime on a Sunday in October that year when teams of five set off from the Black Boy pub in Old High Street.
They then faced a whistle-stop tour of the White Hart, The Bell, Headington Labour Club and the Royal Standard before finishing at the White Horse in London Road.
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The race was won by a team from Touchwood Sports. A rose bowl, given by Oxfordshire Fire Service to the first women’s team to complete the course, went to the Gas Board stretcher-bearers.
The best-dressed team came from the White Hart - the bearers appeared as bees feeding on a patient dressed as a flower.
Sponsorship money amounted to about £2,000 and an additional £460 was raised by street collections, donations and a raffle.
The money was used to buy a heart monitor for the special care baby unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital and for equipment for the Oxford Eye Hospital.
In 1983, there was even more support for the event, with more than 40 teams taking part.
The Thames Water team set a record for the course, crossing the line in nine minutes 25 seconds.
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The ladies’ prize went to a team from Oxford Ambulance who claimed the trophy after the Marks & Spencer team had been proclaimed winners by mistake.
More than £2,300 was raised to buy an electronically-operated bed for the children’s ward at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre.
The event had started in 1976 when the appearance of teams in strange fancy dress caught many people by surprise.
The Oxford Mail reported: “Traffic stood still and jaws dropped as three ambulance men held on to their wigs, hitched up their skirts and ran full tilt with their stretcher case – into a pub.
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“When they reappeared seconds later and ran off with three burly and be-lipsticked members of the Army Medical Corps hot on their high heels, the motorists were out of their cars and laughing.”
The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre has been treating patients with bone and joint problems for more than 80 years and has a world-wide reputation for excellence in orthopaedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. Any memories of the stretcher races to share with readers? Write and let me know.
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