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Year of Food and Farming Potato Pete comes third at Mascot Gold Cup
Mascots from across the UK travelled to Wetherby on Sunday 27th April to take part in the third Mascot Gold Cup which had a record number of runners, confirming the annual event’s status as the largest in the world. The race jointly organized by Yorkshire Young Farmers which featured the Year of Food and Farming as part of its theme and the mascot Potato Pete representing the Potato Council and running to promote the Year of Food and Farming even bagged a podium position.
The race theme for 2008 was ‘Healthy Hearts’ and the ‘Year of Food and Farming’ sponsored by Heart Research UK and Morrisons. This theme was chosen by Yorkshire’s 1800 YFC members as part of its ‘Hearts of the Countryside’ project which sees them promoting the ‘heart health’ and ‘food from field to fork’ message to young people throughout Yorkshire.
During the ‘Mascot Parade’ held prior to the race it was Worth Valley Young Farmer Thomas Ogden who won best turned out mascot based on the race theme with his massive entry, Jeckel and Hyde. The club created a giant heart out of steel, chicken wire and cellophane which was a healthy red on the front and featured things that were good for the heart such as fruit and vegetables. The back was black and featured products not so good for the heart such as salt, beer, and foods containing saturated fats. Second in the home made heart themed mascot was Mrs Beans aka Marie Crabtree from Silsden with Skipton YFC. The Prize for the Corus sponsored best mascot made from recycled materials went to Pansy Potato from Lower Wendsleydale YFC. Winner of the prize for the mascot which had raised most for Sue Ryder Care was Pippin the Copper Dragon from Copper Dragon Brewery who raised almost £600. In total approximately £16,000 was raised for charities with the main beneficiary being Sue Ryder Care who jointly organized the event with Yorkshire YFC.
Winner of best mascot in parade was Donny the White Knight from Doncaster Knights Rugby Club with Debbie Binns as the Wether – Bee placed second.
In the race itself, sponsored by Sky Bet, it was a health conscious type of fast food who stole the show as the Megumi Noodle Box from the Wokon Noodle bar in Leeds out sprinted the field of 85 to claim victory. H’angus the Monkey from Hartlepool United was runner up and third was Potato Pete, a giant spud who was due to be run in by Year of Food and Farming Programme Director, Tony Cooke, until a last minute hitch meant he could not attend. However Jeff Slade from Whitakers Animal Feeds, Keighley, soon volunteered himself to step in to fill the gap as he explains it was something he was proud to do. "Year of Food and Farming is a great concept and it is important that all young people should know where their food comes from. I was happy just to run in the race and promote it but when I cleared the last fence and saw I was in third that was an added bonus!"
First professional mascot home was Danny Cool from Wakefield Wildcats and the prize for being last home without stopping went to Jenny the Jar from British Glass.
Yorkshire Young Farmers member and Sue Ryder Care Fundraiser Andrew Wood was delighted with the event and thanked Wetherby Racecourse and Conference Centre, the Sponsors and the mascots for attending. “The race is growing into a real attraction and we are hoping that next year we can now take on the world record for most mascots in a race which was set over ten years ago at Huntington race course. The funds raised will be spent on the valuable services that Sue Ryder Care provides to thousands of people each year through its network of hospices and neurological care centres. We have also managed to promote the important messages of healthy hearts and the Year of Food and Farming with the event and as young Farmers we are proud to do this.”
With so many runners, the final finishing positions of the many participants race are still being calculated but will be available on www.mascotgoldcup.org.uk later in the week together with photos and video footage of the event.