THOUSANDS of people lined an Andover Street yesterday afternoon (May 29) for the town's inaugural charity Soapbox Derby.

Organised by the Andover Community Events group with the support of several local companies, to raise money for Andover Mind, the event saw more than 20 teams take party in a whacky racing event along Hopkinson Way at East Portway Industrial Estate.

A crowd of more than 3,000 spectators came out to support the teams, and the fundraising page has raised nearly £1,000 so far.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Kevin Rush of the organising team said that it was an "amazing" atmosphere, and the team are proud to have pulled it off.

He thanked everyone who got involved in any way and added: "After months of planning and plotting a random thought from September turned into one of the biggest events Andover has seen for some years.

"In excess of 3000 people came to see the 21 teams tackle the demanding course not once, but twice, over the afternoon. Some looked very serious and some looked very silly but the crowd loved and appreciated the effort of every single one.

"Even the weather was kind on a glorious but not too hot afternoon. We couldn’t have anticipated such an amazing turn out but the day really couldn’t have gone much better and already plans and improvements for 2023 have begun!

"Keep an eye out for more Andover Community Events coming before the end of the year."

To make a donation, visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/andover-soapbox-derby.

Here are just a few of the photos taken by the Advertiser's photographer Sean Dillow. Check back tomorrow for a bumper gallery of snaps, and don't forget to pick up this wek's print edition, out Friday.

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