Two thousand pounds has been donated to three local charities, thanks to this year’s corporate duck race organised by Sidmouth Lions Club.
Two thousand pounds has been donated to three local charities, thanks to this year's corporate duck race organised by Sidmouth Lions Club.
The Sidmouth Hospiscare Trust received the £1,000 top prize, the Exeter Leukaemia Fund has been given the £600 second prize, and the third prize of £400 went to the Sidmouth Food Bank.
The charities were chosen by the companies which had sponsored the three winning ducks.
The businesses received their cheques from the Lions Club at Apollonia House in Elysian Fields on Monday, July 29, so that they could pass them on to their chosen beneficiaries.
The donations follow those already made to the Devon Air Ambulance Trust and the Exeter, East and Mid Devon Samaritans, which each received £1,300 from the money raised by the main race.
Both races took place on July 21. The red corporate ducks, which are sponsored by businesses around the Sid Valley, were launched from the Lawn Vista Cycle Bridge by Alexandra Croft from last year's winners, Gilbert Stephens Solicitors.
Seven Year 12 students from Sidmouth College lent a hand to help the ducks progress downstream to the finish line at the Salcombe Road weir.
The winner was the duck sponsored by Apollonia House Dental Practice, represented at the ceremony by Lola Luscombe and David Lee. Martyn French represented the second prize-winner A J Carpenters Ltd, and Bob Reynolds represented Westchem, whose duck came third.
Lions president Chris Rignall said: "Planning and running the great Duck Derby requires a huge team effort, but it would not have been possible to raise these huge amounts of money for charity without the extraordinary generosity of local residents and local business organisations, and also many of the visitors to Sidmouth during the month prior to the Duck Derby.
"The Lions Club would particularly like to thank the proprietors of local hotels, pubs and restaurants, plus the local Co-operative and Lidl stores for allowing the Lions to sell duck tickets on their premises; also the proprietors of Paper Moon in Fore Street, No. 83 for Cards and Woolbrook News for selling yellow duck tickets at their shops."
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