Three Okehampton men’s groups entered the Bideford Soapbox Derby last weekend to raise money for ChemoHero, a charity which provides those undergoing chemotherapy treatment with ‘boxes of kindness.’

Okehampton’s Men in Sheds joined forces with Who Let the Dads Out (WLTDO) to create a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-themed soapbox (shown left). Men in Sheds built the car while Who Let the Dads Out entered the race. The team finished the run with a time of 40 seconds – only 15 seconds behind the winner.

Phil Bush from Okehampton Men in Sheds said: ‘We didn’t quite come first but we entered. We raised about £750 for ChemoHero and had fun building a silly car.’

Okehampton Lions also entered their soapbox ‘Richard the Lion Hart’, which was decorated with zebra-patterned paper, into the derby.

Okehampton Lions and their go-kart (Submitted)

The Lions race team consisted of Luis Martins, Nick Blowey, John Davey, Artur Teixeira, the support crew alongside them were Jo Teixeira, Natalia Santos, Billy Davey, Aimee Teixeira, Francisco Martins and the youngest member was Gabriel Martins. They had two successful runs down the steep hill of Bideford High Street to applause and laughter as the Lions ran down the hill dressed in various inflatable animals to match the safari-themed cart.

“It was such a good day, the camaraderie between teams throughout the race was great, everyone shared each others highs and lows and a lot of money was raised for the charity ChemoHero, the Lions Club were very proud to be a part of such a well-organised and fun day, who knows, next year we might even go a bit faster!Thank you to the sponsors that helped the Lions Team have such a great day with the money they raised,' said the team.

The next WLTDO session is on the second Saturday in July at the Okehampton Community Garden where members will hold a mega bubbble party. The group has also recently been awarded £,1900 from Western Power to run outdoor sessions which will include three sessions in the summer and autumn with the forest school.

Any dad with a child under eight is welcome and should message organisers through the WLTDO’s Facebook page for more information.

Who Let The Dads Out is a national scheme that helps local churches to establish projects for dads and other father figures and their children so that they can spend more time together. The initiative continues to grow as the importance of role of fathers and male carers play in a child’s life becomes more and more widely recognised.

Men in Sheds was set up to provide social opportunities for retired men who might otherwise become isolated after leaving work. There are ‘sheds’ throughout the country which offer men a space to get together while building and creating items that will support their local community. Okehampton Men in Sheds has supported Gilead Foundations with renewing the centre’s garden and also built the children’s reading den in the library.

Originally only accepting male members, the Lions Club is an international organisation with groups across the world which work to help their community. Female Lions have been able to join the organisation since 1987 when the board of directors amended the rules.