The Rybrook Shrewsbury Raft Race – the heart of this Sunday’s seventh Shrewsbury River Festival – promises to be a barbaric battle of buccaneers, with eight vessels taking part.
Race sponsor Rybrook will have their own BMW v Mini crews competing head to head, alongside others from Marks & Spencer Shrewsbury, The Red Barn, The Charles Darwin, The Armoury, WSP and Techni Systems. All teams will have the same quantity of barrels, pallets and rope to make their rafts in only one hour earlier in the day, with the battle taking place in the afternoon – ensuring that several may end up as shark bait!
Thighs the Limit are sponsoring the Fancy Dress Competition – quality tights manufacturer Pamela Mann have donated stripy and skull & crossbones tights, which are guaranteed to ensure that no self-respecting pirate will look like a scallywag – just swagger on over to Thighs the Limit on Mardol to pick up your pair, for a minimum donation of £2.50 to West Mercia Search & Rescue (WMSAR). Buy your ducks online or on the day for the Shrewsbury Canoe Hire Duck Race, watch raft race organiser Phil walk the plank off the new Sabrina sister pirate ship, and sign up for WMSAR’s new competition – the Accutest ‘River Safety Relay’ Race – for which they are offering free training, if you’re quick enough!
The Festival is set to be held in the Quarry Park and on the River Severn 10am-5pm this Sunday, 3rd June 2018. This year, the event is raising much-needed funds for WMSAR, which was formed in 2007, and whose operational area covers 1.2 million people in three counties with the Severn at their heart. Many of you will have seen WMSAR’s rescue boats on the river – less will know that all of their equipment, overheads and training are paid for by charitable donations and grants. All members are volunteers who fund their own travel, personal equipment and selected training, and also commit to fundraising events such as the Festival, throughout the year.
Shrewsbury River Festival is a great free family day out, offering a range of entertainment including boat, river safety relay and duck races, various demonstrations on the river and in the Quarry, coracles, canoeing, trade and food stalls, children’s pirate fancy dress and other competitions, as well as live entertainment such as Morris dancing from the infamous Shrewsbury Morris, and music from the Chicago Swing Catz and the Shropshire Boatmen.
The event is organised by volunteers and supported by a number of organisations including Shrewsbury Town Football Club in the Community, Salop Leisure, Salop Computer Centre, Salop Design & Engineering, staff from Marks & Spencer Shrewsbury, Team Shrewsbury, Shropshire Fire & Rescue, West Mercia Police and the RNLI – to name but a few.
“We are really looking forward to Shrewsbury River Festival,” said Georgie Dixon, of Rybrook Shrewsbury.
“Raising money for the West Mercia Search & Rescue, and teaching people about River Safety is an excellent cause – we are happy to be involved.”
Matt Smart, of Rybrook Shrewsbury BMW, added: “It’s going to be a great day for an excellent cause. BMW vs MINI in the raft race… may the best dealership win!”
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