Pancake Day in Stevenage was flipping good! Specsavers proved good eye care goes a long way when it comes to flipping pancakes as they took part in the Stevenage race which kicked off at 10am on Tuesday. Ian Williamson, Director of Specsavers in Stevenage

Pancake Day in Stevenage was flipping good!

Specsavers proved good eye care goes a long way when it comes to flipping pancakes as they took part in the Stevenage race which kicked off at 10am on Tuesday.

Ian Williamson, Director of Specsavers in Stevenage, said: "We had two lots of school children running first of all, Marriots and Barnwell. Marriots won the school race.

"For the adults we had three heats. Specsavers won one of the heats for the first time in seven years and we came second in the final.

"Stevenage Borough won the final, they bought on all their 18-year-olds!"

The store has raised £250 for charity so far and is still waiting for more donations to come.

Other teams to take part included Heartbeat FM, Tescos, Sport & Soccer and Marks & Spencer.

* Hitchin pancake race is in its 9th year and bigger and batter than ever. David Sparkes, Priory Rotary Club president, said: "It went incredibly well. We had record entries and people ran four races.

"We had teams from various banks in Hitchin racing teams of solicitors. The banks are extremely generous because whatever the staff make they will match it."

The final count has yet to be made, but David said: "Last year we raised over £14,000 and we think we're going to raise even more than that this year."

Neil Bethel from Hitchin Fire Service won the men's race and Emma Milton from Hawkins Russell Jones scooped the ladies prize.

But two ladies races took place this year due to the increased number of entrants and in the ladies B race Lauren Ambrose of Barclays Bank stole the show.

The fancy dress race winner was Thomas Piper from Foreman Laws dressed as Robin, batman's sidekick. The best fancy dress winner was Denise Ramsey from the Garden House Hospice dressed as Boudicca.

* St Swithuns School led the Sandy flippers on Tuesday. Headteacher David Morton, who helped the children flip their pancakes in the afternoon, said: "We had 120 children, from reception to Year 4 taking part, in groups of six. We had a parents' race as well."

He added: "The deputy town mayor was there, Colin Osbourne, and the president of the chamber of commerce for Sandy.

"It was excellent on Pancake Day, the weather kept well and the children had a lot of fun."

And there was room for a number of top flippers. Mr Morton said: "We had a winner from each class and one of the parents who ran the parents' race, so there were six winners."

* Friends took part in an impromptu race along the High Street in Pirton. Competitors of all ages flipped their pancakes, from babies in buggies to pensioners. The race was won by Mrs Pat Lawrence who took part in the first ever Pirton Pancake Race held 30 years ago.