THEY'RE under starters orders and now there is a chance to join in The National Sedan Chair Carrying Championship will take place in Lancaster once again this Easter.

The wacky race along the quayside is one of the biggest attractions of the annual Maritime Festival.

It sees teams of three (two men carriers and a woman passenger) racing replicas of 18th Century sedan chairs over a course of 80 yards.

The fastest four teams in a series of heats will go through to semi-finals where sudden death' races will decide the eventual winners.

Champions for the past two years have been a team from Lancaster Prison, who have announced that they will be defending the title.

The event will be one of the highlights of a Trafalgar Victory Fair featuring role-playing re-enactors re-creating the sights, sounds and entertainments of a provincial fair in the Spring of 1806.

Entry forms are from Lancaster City Council arts and events service (01524-5828100) or from Lancaster Tourist Information Centre.