Thousands of duckies took to the water and raced down the River Sid at the town’s Great Duck Derby at the weekend.
An astounding £5,200 was raised for charity by the event, organised by the Sidmouth Lions, on Sunday.
Dozens of children – some as young as two years old – parents and grandparents gathered in The Byes and had great fun taking part in the ‘duck and spoon’ races.
The red corporate ducks were the first to be launched into the water. They were initially reluctant to swim downstream but after a bit of encouragement from a group of year 12 Sidmouth College students, they soon got on their way.
The red ducks were sponsored by local businesses. The top three winners get to choose a humanitarian charity for their prize money to go to.
It’s hoped this year’s corporate race will have raised around £2,000 for charity.
The main public event saw 5,000 yellow ducks race down the river, watched by a sizeable crowd along both sides of the river.
While the ducks were making their way to the finish line, children were able to enjoy popular Lions’ games such as ‘hook a duck’ and bouncing ‘duck eggs’ into egg trays. There was also a bouncy castle and a slide.
Following the event, two cheques, each for £1,300, were awarded to the Lions’ chosen charities – Sidmouth Admiral Nurse Appeal and Devon Freewheelers.
A further £1,015 in cash prizes were given to the first 19 winners of the yellow duck race. The remaining money was used to pay for the costs of holding the event.
Sidmouth Lions Club president, Alex Blyth said: “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 thanked everyone for all their support.
Anyone who sees a duck still en route has been asked to catch it, ‘clip its wings’ and call 01395 514265/515351.
List of winners
Top 3: 1st (£400) – Morgan Murray, Exmouth; 2nd (£100) – Reverend M G Huggett; 3rd (£75) – Emily Robinson, Exmouth.
£40 prize winners: 4th – J Collins, Sidmouth; 5th – C H Elphick, Sidmouth; 6th – Mrs M MacMillan, Sidmouth; 7th – Emma Paragreen, Sheffield; 8th –Jean Harris, Porthcawl; 9th – Sara Hook, Sidmouth.
£20 prize winners: 10th – Sue Wick; 11th – Mrs Littler, Sidmouth; 12th – S Murdoch, Sidmouth; 13th – Linda Park; 14th – Amanda Dickinson, Sidmouth, 15th – Mr Saunders, Swindon; 16th – Gina Mogg, Bristol; 17th – Lambden, Maidenhead; 18th – S W Herbert; 19th – donated to Admiral Nurse fund.
Cororate duck race winners: 1st (£1,000) – Gilbert Stephens; 2nd (£600) – Northcott Brothers; 3rd (£400) – Hillside House Residential Care Home.
Duck and spoon race winners: Fleur Crockart, age two; Ivy Crockart, age five; Lawrence Payne, age six; Daisy Herrett, age seven; Sophia Cole, age nine; and Ellie Puddicombe, age 11.
Mums’ race winner: Sonia Puddicombe.
Dads’ race winner: Matt Portman.
Grandparents’ race winner: Philip Hanson.
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