ABOUT 200 people hopped and jumped in the world’s biggest sack race for Children in Need in November 1989 in Bicester.

Teams of five took part in the race staged by staff of Bicester and Ploughley Sports Centre on the playing field of Bicester Community College next door.

Bicester town mayor at the time, Mr John Brown, stood on a table to drop a flag to start the race.

Teams had to hop or jump in relays over a 30-yard course and the winners were five lads from Nash’s Bakery, Bicester, calling themselves The Return of Nash’s Nobs.

The five were Denis McAllan, Kevin Scarrott, Paul Palmer, David Zdyrko and Sandy Finnie.

The bakery also donated examples of the Bicester Cake, which resembled a circular version of the more famous Banbury Cake and contained apple and dried fruit.

Bicester Local History Society chairman Mr Bob Hessian said: “The recipe was found in a book on cookery in Oxfordshire.”

After the sack race they gave surplus cakes away to bazaars at Brookside and St Edburg’s primary schools, and the Six Bells, in Church Street, where there was a sponsored darts marathon for Edward Smyth-Pigott.

The sack race attracted numerous teams, including one from Otmoor Ranger Guides and another from 6th Bicester Guides. It was the second annual sack race devised by Mr Ken Walton, sports centre manager. Mr Walton said he would have welcomed more teams.

At the time he said: "I thought it was a good idea to have some fun for Children in Need while putting our hands in our pockets for the appeal.”

Numerous other fundraising events for the appeal were organised that same month in the town and district. Teachers and pupils at the then Cooper Comprehensive School staged a giant-sized billiards match when the grass playing field substituted for the green baize.

Colin Simms, head of the 3rd year, and Mike Hill, head of the 2nd year, were among those who tried their hand at grass billiards. Pupils from the school also busked around the town centre with a musical group.

Members of Bicester Ladies Circle collected £255.31 over four hours in the town when five of them took it in turns to wear liquorice allsorts costumes they and other members had made up for the collection.

The five collectors were chairman Mrs Janet Blunden, Mrs Gerry Wallis, Mrs Gwen Bland, Mrs Jan Weedon and Mrs Julia Roberts.

Bicester’s part-time retained firemen collected £3,500 from touring village pubs and two weekend visits to Finmere Sunday Market.

Bucknell Morris dancers were joined by members of the Twyford Morris side and the Green Lentil clog dancers of Kidlington for their dance out in the town centre. They brought in £182.68.

Children at Heathfield equestrian centre raised in the region of £100 from a sponsored horse ride from Bletchingdon to Hampton Poyle and Kidlington. About a dozen children wore fancy dress and they made a collection in Kidlington shopping centre.

Bicester Local History Society meets at 7:30pm on the third Monday of each month at the Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, and all are welcome.

This month's talk will be "A Window into Bicester's Architectural History" by Pat Snelson, who presented our latest dvd on Bicester’s buildings. For more details on the group see blhs.org.uk