Snail race held at Congham Hall has sluggish contestants

Ready… Steady… Slow… An annual snail race made its return to Congham Hall where contestants made a slimy attempt to cross the finish line.

Many gathered to enter their shelled contestants in the race held at the Hall in Grimston, with the winning time being seven minutes and 23 seconds.

The sluggish time by Evie - ‘owned’ by Lettie Spragg, of Pott Row - was at least twice that of any other champion since 2008. Four-year-old Lettie, is thought to be the youngest-ever winning trainer.

The championships were back for the first time since 2019, thanks to Snail Masters Ian Haynes and Nicholas Dickinson, who owns the hall.

Recognised by Guinness World Records as the only humane snail race championships, there were 89 snails across seven heats, with the winners reaching the final.

Ian said: “I didn’t know about the championships until I moved to the area in 2021. It’s been great to be involved in bringing it back and now we want it to stay on the calendar.”

Dr Jonathan Cooper, an associate professor in animal behaviour and welfare, was on hand to check on the ‘runners’ and gave a talk on molluscs to the many children present.