Red Bull Soapbox Race 2026: £2,245 Raised for Alzheimer's Society

The results are in: a Corgi, a hill at Alexandra Palace, and £2,245 raised for Alzheimer's Society

On Saturday 20th June 2026, our Managing Director Simon Mills, along with fellow dads Jason, Jon, and Danny, took team Belly Low and Ready To Go down the hill at Alexandra Palace in London for the Red Bull Soapbox Race. The mission was twofold: put the humble Corgi on the global stage, and raise money for Alzheimer's Society along the way. We're delighted to report that the team delivered on both counts in spectacular fashion.

Meet the Team: Belly Low and Ready To Go

The big reveal: Belly Low and Ready To Go unveil their Corgi soapbox at Alexandra Palace

Belly Low and Ready To Go is made up of four adventure-addicted school dads who have skied, boated, and raced their way through midlife — Simon, Jason, Jon, and Danny. Between them they've built a fully working soapbox shaped like a Corgi, a dog famously low to the ground but, as the team would argue, very high on horsepower.

The idea grew out of a long-running friendship between the four dads, one of whom owns a real-life Corgi, and a shared sense that the much-loved breed deserved a bit more recognition on the world stage. What started as a joke in the school playground eventually became a genuine engineering project, with months of garage time going into the build before the team even arrived at Alexandra Palace.

The decision to raise money for Alzheimer's Society wasn't an afterthought either. It's a cause that's personal to all four of the dads, and one that connects directly to the work we do every day here at Twelve Trees Care, where supporting people living with dementia and their families is central to everything we offer.

High Scores from the Judges Before the Race Even Started

The judges award high marks for the Corgi soapbox design at the start line

Before a single wheel turned, the Red Bull Soapbox Race judges had their say on each team's design, build quality, and showmanship. Scoring well at this stage matters almost as much as the race time itself, since it forms part of the overall result for the day.

Belly Low and Ready To Go's Corgi-themed soapbox scored highly with the judging panel, a brilliant reward for the hours spent designing, sketching, and building the cart in the months leading up to the event. From the shape of the body to the detail in the ears and tail, the build clearly impressed — proof that you don't need a professional engineering background to put together a genuinely eye-catching soapbox, just patience, imagination, and a fair amount of trial and error.

Simon Takes to the Big Screen at Alexandra Palace

Simon Mills chats to event presenters on the big screen ahead of the race

Ahead of the run, Simon had his moment in the spotlight, chatting to the event's presenters on the big screen in front of the watching crowd. The conversation covered the team, the Corgi concept, and the months of preparation that had gone into the build — all in the good-humoured spirit that the Red Bull Soapbox Race is known for.

It's exactly this kind of exposure that makes the event such a powerful platform for raising money for good causes. With tens of thousands of spectators at Alexandra Palace and live coverage on the big screen, every team gets a moment to share why they're racing and who they're racing for, turning a fun day out into a genuine fundraising opportunity.

Down the Hill in 43 Seconds

The Corgi soapbox in full flow on the way to the finish line

Once the Corgi was off the start line, it didn't disappoint. The course at Alexandra Palace is no easy ride, with steep drops, sharp corners, and a notoriously tricky jump that has caught out plenty of teams over the years. Belly Low and Ready To Go handled it with confidence, taking the jump cleanly and keeping the soapbox upright and moving fast throughout the run.

The team crossed the finish line with a fantastic time of 43 seconds, a genuinely competitive result against teams with far more soapbox racing experience. Even more impressively, they did it despite losing both of the Corgi's back legs somewhere along the course — a proper soapbox racing badge of honour, and a detail that had the crowd laughing as the cart crossed the line.

Taking the jump with ease during the run at Alexandra Palace

The jump itself was one of the most talked-about moments of the run. Soapbox racing jumps are notoriously unforgiving, and many teams either come apart on landing or lose so much speed they struggle to recover. Belly Low and Ready To Go's Corgi sailed over it with far more grace than four dads racing a homemade cart down a hill had any right to expect, landing cleanly and carrying its speed all the way to the finish line.

Crowds watching from the hillside and on the big screens at Alexandra Palace got to see the whole run unfold in real time, with cheers growing louder as the Corgi closed in on the finish. Crossing the line in 43 seconds, legs notwithstanding, was a brilliant way to cap off months of preparation.

Crossing the line, captured live on the big screen at Alexandra Palace

For anyone who has never seen the Red Bull Soapbox Race in person, the atmosphere at Alexandra Palace is genuinely something special. There are no engines, no pedals, just gravity, momentum, and whatever steering and braking each team managed to bolt on in the garage beforehand. Every run is broadcast live on the big screens around the course, so even spectators at the top of the hill get to watch the action unfold in full as each soapbox makes its way down.

£2,245 Raised for Alzheimer's Society

Beyond the race itself, the real result of the day is the money raised. Belly Low and Ready To Go set out with a fundraising target of £2,000 for Alzheimer's Society and finished with an incredible £2,245, smashing their goal at 112%, thanks to the generosity of 54 supporters.

Thank you to everyone who donated, shared the fundraiser, and cheered the team on from home or in person at Alexandra Palace — and a huge well done to Simon, Jason, Jon and Danny for taking on the Red Bull Soapbox Race in such style, for such a worthwhile cause.

Dementia and Alzheimer's Support Across Twelve Trees Care

This cause isn't just close to Simon's heart personally — it's woven into everything we do at Twelve Trees Care. We provide specialist dementia and Alzheimer's care and support across our full range of services, from residential care in our two care homes to live-in and visiting care delivered in people's own homes. Wherever someone is on their dementia journey, our experienced teams are here to help.

A Day to Remember

From the early design sketches to the finished build, from the judges' high scores at the start line to a strong finishing time of 43 seconds, Belly Low and Ready To Go's Red Bull Soapbox Race campaign was a brilliant success from start to finish. The team set out to put the Corgi on the global stage and raise money for a cause close to their hearts, and they achieved both with style.

From all of us at Twelve Trees Care, thank you to everyone who got behind Belly Low and Ready To Go, whether through a donation, a share, or simply cheering the team on. It was a fantastic day for a fantastic cause, and the team's Corgi has officially earned its place in soapbox racing history.