Straw, Silly Walks and a Great Cause – WAVE Takes on the Oxenhope Straw Race 2026

5th August 2026

On Sunday 6th July 2026, members of WAVE swapped refrigeration systems and project meetings for fancy dress, a 20kg bale of straw and a rather grueling 2.5-mile route around Oxenhope with a stop or six (Pub) as they took part in the annual Oxenhope Straw Race.

All for charity of course.

Local charities supported by the event were; Manorlands Sue Ryder Hospice– palliative, neurological and bereavement support. Haworth RDA – Riding for the disabled, Keighley Parkinson’s Support Centre, Oakworth Youth Project, Oxenhope Warm Space, The Good Shepherd Centre and Worth Valley Food Bank.

Of course, simply completing the race isn’t enough for the WAVE team. The costumes are taken just as seriously.

I mean the Penguins of 2024 were fab, and the memorable Monty Python and the Holy Bale outfits in 2025, we genuinely wondered how the team could top themselves.

Well… they managed it.

Alan Saban and Caitlin Earle AMInstR took to the course as Team “Don’t Panic”, inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The costumes were absolutely spot on and earned plenty of smiles throughout the day. They crossed the finish line in a very respectable 1 hour and 22 minutes, finishing 170th overall.

Sam Cameron BSc MInstR and Connor Wilcox embraced the wonderfully ridiculous as Team “Monty Python’s Ministr’hay of Silly Walks”. Even with a few unnecessary (but highly entertaining) silly walks along the route, they powered home in an impressive 56 minutes to finish 75th overall.

We do have to give a special mention to Sam Cameron BSc MInstR whose facial expressions throughout the race had us all in stitches!

A huge well done to everyone who took part and, more importantly, thank you for helping to raise money for so many worthwhile local charities.

Now then… the important question is…

How on earth are they going to top these costumes in 2027? 😁