Our History
21 years ago, on Tuesday 8th February 2005, the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust (CJT) hosted their first pancake races in Guildford High Street. The Trust were in the process of saving a Grade II listed Vagrants and Casuals Ward from inappropriate development. The proposal was to provide a community centre in the building, which is known as the Spike, as well as a heritage experience which would tell the story of how the poor were treated under the Victorian Poor Laws. To remind people that poverty and homelessness were not a thing of the past, the Trust started the Great Guildford Pancake Races to raise money for charities that look after those less well-off.
In 2026 CJT asked Rotary in Guildford if they would carry on the Pancake Race tradition, knowing that Rotary in Guildford also raised money for local charities that helped those who found life difficult and challenging. For 2027, the races will highlight Guildford Charities, Oakleaf and the Samson Centre, together with Rotary Charities that support local charities within the local community.