AberNecessities
Bed Race
2024

WHEN

Sunday August 18th.

Starting flag 12:30pm.

WHERE

WHY

For AberNecessities

Because no child should go without

AberNecessities strive to meet the basic needs of disadvantaged children throughout the North-East, making every effort to give them the best possible start in life.

This ‘Bed Race’ is intended to highlight their Sweet Dreams campaign, raising much needed funds and attention to support underprivileged local children* some of whom are sleeping on broken, no longer fit for-purpose beds, sharing with parents or siblings, or in some cases, simply sleeping on the floor.

This is happening HERE!

This is happening NOW!

Join us to make a difference (and a bit of a bed-racing spectacle)!

*Current statistics reveal that 21.8% of children living in Aberdeen are living in poverty.

HOW

So here’s where the fun begins!…

Your Team

Grab up to four friends, family members or co-workers, build a bed on wheels, decorate it – and then race to the finish.

Racing Teams must consist of a maximum of 4 members: 3 pushers and 1 rider.

You can compete with only 3 or 4 members BUT… One member must be riding (sitting or lying) on the bed for the entire time that the bed is in motion. No standing/kneeling. ALL team members must be in contact with the bed when crossing the finish line.

All racers must be at least 16 years old (see race waiver).

Your Bed

It certainly wouldn’t be a bed race without beds, but you can choose what this looks like for you and your team. (See Bed Specs below for details).

Get a bed – You maybe have an old spare bed that you’ve been thinking of getting rid of? If not, after you’ve asked around… Might we suggest Instant Neighbour (What a great opportunity to support two charities at once!)

Attach some wheels – (bigger is better)! AberNecessities have been collecting spare pram wheels – get in touch with them to peruse and collect.

Kit out your bed with whatever decorations, and / or corporate branding, your heart desires!

Bed Specs

Minimum bed size: 90 x 190 cm (Metric), 3’0″ x 6’3″ (Imperial). This is a single bed.

We’re won’t disallow double beds, Queens or even Cali. Kings… But, please bear in mind that you and your team are responsible for getting your bed to Duthie Park, and taking it away again! And whilst comfortable and luxurious…from a racing point of view, these may be more form over function!

Wheels: Four load bearing, no more and no less, and designed so that all wheels contact the ground.

Steering: Provisions must be made to steer the bed. This may include a mechanism to steer the front two wheels, or a combination of rotating caster wheels on the front and fixed on the rear etc.

Propulsion: The bed must have no means of mechanical, motorized or electronic propulsion.

Mattress: Required for rider / passenger safety & comfort.

Push Bars: No jagged or sharp edges allowed, may not exceed maximum dimension of the bed (Pushers must be able to see the course in front of the bed when they are pushing.)

Decorations: Are mandatory! The Parade of Beds will open the competition to allow for the the best-decorated bed to be decided. Decorations can be removed for competition racing, alternatively, these must be securely attached and pose no risk to the rider, pushers or other teams. The design of the beds should be tasteful and appropriate for all ages.

Your Safety

The AberNecessities Bed Race 2024 is not intended to be dangerous… but accidents happen!

ALL participants must sign a Race Waiver.

Use of helmets, kneepads and running shoes is encouraged.

Each team must have a First-Aid Kit on hand for blisters / scraped knees and bruised egos!

Entry Fee

£325

Did we hear a sharp intake of breath?

Allow us to explain…

Whilst NOT inexpensive, this entry fee represents the cost of one complete AberNecessities Sweet Dreams Bundle.

Sainsbury & Son’s furniture store provide AberNecessities with quality children’s beds and mattresses at a cost price of £260, delivering and setting-up beds in their new home.

To complement this new bed’s delivey, AberNecessities carefully and lovingly curate a Sweet Dreams bundle including: a duvet, pillow, bedding, cosy pjs, slippers, a hot water bottle, a story book and a teddy bear, at a cost of £65.

If every team commits to meeting this entry fee, then every single bed that participates on August 18th will represent a new bed for a local child that has previously gone without.

We can do this!

Truthfully, we hope you’ll raise much much more money than £325 for your entry fee. Let’s show Duthie Park how to have a good time and raise piles of cash for AberNecessities at the same time!

General Rules

The Event

This is a family event. All teams must conduct themselves appropriately.

Each team must have a named Captain responsible for ensuring the safety of their team members during the Event
All bed/team costs are borne by the entrants. This includes the non-refundable entry fee.
All monies raised will be paid to AberNecessities.
Teams are responsible for getting their beds too and from Duthie Park.

During the Race

All pushers and riders must remain in contact with the bed at all times and be in control of the bed until it comes to a complete stop.
Pushers must remain behind or on the side of the bed. No one can be pulling or in front of the bed.
The rider must be sitting or lying the entire time that the bed is in motion. No standing/kneeling.
Teams will respect opposing teams and not interfere or impede their progress.
In the first round, opposing teams will be timed, the fastest teams advancing to the semi-finals.
Once in the semi-finals, the team that’s first crosses the finish line, wins the heat and continues to advance.

Race Schedule

Access to the Park for bed drop-off is between:

8 – 9:30am & 10:30 – 11:30am

Announcements, Rules & Bed Parade:

12noon

Race Heats Begin:

12:30pm

Finals:

TBC

Awards Ceremony:

TBC

Race Marshalls

*We ask each team – where possible – to bring along a-n-other team member (or two) willing and able to act as race marshalls on the day day!

Simply put, we’re looking for some volunteer support:

to take and share some great pics
to keep the course clear of spectators
to man the start and finish lines, and
to be an all round good egg helping us to make this event run smoothly and raise lots of cash for an excellent cause!

The Awards

The Event will culminate in an Awards Ceremony recognising:

The Fastest Course Time Recorded

(Commendations for 2nd & 3rd place)

The Best Decorated Bed

The Most Funds Raised

The Team with the Most Heart!

Yes, there will be prizes, but we hope that these are not your only incentive to join us. Instead we offer a comprehensive winners package including:

Bragging Rights
Publicity
A Great Day Out!
Fresh air
Sunshine (fingers crossed!)
Camaraderie
The opportunity to optimise our combined fundraising efforts to make a real difference for local children living in poverty.