Shrewsbury charity raft race challenge declared a big success

The annual Morris Lubricants Raft Race for charity on the River Severn in Shrewsbury on Sunday has been declared a success and is expected to have raised around £3,500 for charity.

Ten teams put their raft building and sailing skills to the test in the race, which is part of Shrewsbury River Festival, with Rea Valley Tractors emerging the victors. Gateley Solicitors were second and Wilmott Dixon were third.

All the money raised by the teams will go to the British Heart Foundation, Morris Lubricants’ adopted charity this year.

Race organiser Phil Gittins, from Morris Lubricants, said he was delighted with the new race format, which worked well and the sunshine attracted thousands of spectators to the river.

All the teams assembled in the Quarry Park at 1.30pm and were given 75 minutes to build their rafts before launching on the River Severn opposite the Pengwern Boat House. They then paddled 100 metres upstream to pick up one of their team from the opposite side of the river before heading back downstream to the Boat House where they carried their raft out of river and disassembled it.

Each team was given four scaffolding poles, four barrels and four wooden pallets to build their rafts and they all managed to get to the finishing line, although there were a couple of disqualifications for not picking up the extra team member.

“Everything went surprisingly well and the new formal worked brilliantly,” said Mr Gittins. “All the rafts managed to complete the race but a couple were upside down by the end. It was all great fun for the competitors and the spectators and we couldn’t have asked for a better day.”

The raft race is part of the annual charity fundraising challenge for Morris Lubricants and sister company Morris Leisure. Over the past three years, the companies have raised £44,000 for charities, including the Teenage Cancer Trust, Severn Hospice and Midlands and Wales Air Ambulance Services.

This year’s fundraising challenge is particularly poignant following the recent loss of Morris Lubricants’ loading supervisor Adrian Griffiths, 47, who died of a heart attack.

“Adrian was a valued member of staff who died at a very young age and we thought it would be a fitting tribute to him to try to raise a significant sum for the British Heart Foundation. We would love to raise £10,000 this year,” added Mr Gittins.

The River Festival is organised by Shrewsbury and Shropshire Waterways and Leisure Group to teach people about water safety awareness. This year’s event had a mediaeval theme, inspired by the Battle of Shrewsbury 1403 and the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo 1815.