Charity, Wimborne | Posted on August 30th, 2024 | return to news
Wimborne’s annual duck race raises £1,800
The 24th Wimborne Duck Race, held to raise funds for Wimborne in Bloom, collected £1,800 on Saturday 24 August.
A total of 1,000 yellow rubber ducks raced down the River Allen in Wimborne on Saturday 24 August as part of the town’s annual fundraising event.
This year marked the 24th annual duck race, held to raise funds for Wimborne in Bloom, a voluntary group dedicated to making the town an attractive place to work and live.
Tickets were sold at £1 each, with the ticket holders for the first six ducks over the finishing line winning prize money. Many of the ducks were ‘co-owned’, allowing the organisers to sell more tickets and double the potential prizes.
The ducks were launched into the river at 4pm on Saturday by the Riverside Mews Café bridge, then swam down the River Allen to the finish line behind the Rising Sun pub. The winning duck, no. 763, crossed the line in around fifteen minutes, which meant ticket holder Jo Halton won a grand prize of £50.
In total, the duck race raised £1,800 which will go towards planting flowers in the planters around Wimborne for autumn.
Among the attendees on the day were the mayor of Wimborne Minster, Cllr Jeff Hart accompanied by Mayoress Barbara Hart, Town Crier Chris Brown, and the new MP for for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Vikki Slade.
Richard Nunn, chairman of Wimborne in Bloom, thanked everyone who helped with the selling of tickets and all those who purchased a duck in support of the organisation. He said: “It was great to see all those smiling faces as people followed the race down the river trying to spot their ‘duck’.
“In addition to thanking both the Co-Op and Waitrose he also expressed thanks to the Slocock Trust for the use of the Bridge from which to launch the ducks and the Rising Sun for all their help with the use of their garden area after the race and indeed for the ‘ducks’ they sold beforehand, and also Puddle Ducks Dorset who sponsored the prizes which were given out in the presence of a six foot duck!”
Wimborne in Blooms next event will be the annual Charities Fair which will take place in the Allendale Centre on Saturday 9 November. Full details about all events can be found on the website: www.wimborneinbloom.org.uk
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