Intro:

The 47th Great Knaresborough Bed Race brought a North Yorkshire town in England to a standstill once again on Saturday.

Script:

The weird and the wacky descended on the streets of Knaresborough for the Great Bed Race on Saturday.

It may have been all smiles in the Yorkshire town at the start but, once the action got underway, it was hardly 'laid back.'

Teams of six dragged their 'beds' and one lucky passenger over a two mile course, on land, and water...

There was no room for sleeping on the job as heavy rain meant the River Nidd was in full flow.

The Ripon Runners came, saw and conquered in both the male and female races.

Jessica Murray and her team mates crossed the line in 17 minutes and 19 seconds and Jessica certainly enjoyed her river challenge.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Jessica Murray, 'Pilot', Ripon Runners

"I found it, well... when you were going into the river, you went down, like, really steeply. You felt like you were going to fall in, but the once you're in the river you feel all right."

The Great Knaresborough Bed Race does have a serious side.

Last year, over £100,000 was raised for charitable causes and the organisers were hoping to go well beyond that figure this time around.