Flipping fun at town's annual pancake day race

More than 100 runners armed with pancakes, frying pans and good pairs of shoes have taken part in an annual shrove Tuesday race.

At the pancake day event in Wimborne, Dorset, participants ran around The Minster and stopped to toss at the four corners of the church.

Every year there are a number of events, including races for adults, pre-schoolers, toddlers and those using wheelchairs.

Organiser Anthony Oliver said it was the largest crowd the event had seen, with the first race commencing just after at 11:00 as the Pancake Bell was tolled.

Stuart Faulkner, from Oxford, was the winner of the main event and, while holding a larger frying pan with a smaller pancake, described his winning recipe.

"First of all it's gluten free, so it's naturally more dense, and a slightly smaller version allows much better flipping technique, I can do it without looking," he said.

The Rev Canon Andrew Rowland has been taking part in the event for over 25 years.

He chose a similar method to Stuart, by making a pancake that was a lot smaller than his frying pan.

"I know how to win but I always come last because I can't run as fast as I used to," he said.

German exchange student Marla said she though the tradition, which does not exist in her home country, was special.

She said: "Running around with a pancake, it sounded a bit strange in the beginning but I think it will be really fun."

Registration was held at the main north porch entrance to the Minster.

Prizes were given to the winners of each category, including money for the children and a sack of wild bird food for the wheelchair winner.