Thousands enjoy Deepings Raft Race
Thousands of people lined the banks of the River Welland on Sunday for the Deepings Raft Race.
A total of 43 rafts took to the water to take part in five races from 1.30pm onwards on Sunday afternoon. A massive crowd of approximately 7,000 onlookers watched the festivities from Bridge Street and the Market Place.
Other attractions over the course of the day included live music, fun fair and a display of classic vehicles.
Nick Ash, who is a member of the organising committee, said: "I think everyone enjoyed themselves and it was another successful Deepings Raft Race.
"There were no incidents and the crowd was very well behaved, which was good considering there was an awful lot of people there. The crowds really came out in their droves to support us and have a good time.
"The races went off really well too. It was a great day."
The results were announced in Market Square during the afternoon. The winner of the Help for Heroes Forces Race was RAF Scampton while Hills Haulage took the prize in the main race.
Gobhi Desert Canoe Club was victorious in the fun race, Deepings Rugby Club Ladies won the ladies race and Deepings Devils won the children's race.
The proceedings kicked off with a party at Deepings Leisure Centre on Friday night with a performance by Crazy Ape.
Nick said: "It was a fantastic party night and the band really got everyone in the mood. They got everybody up and dancing and it was a great way to kick start the weekend and the fundraising."
The money raised from the event will this year go to Help for Heroes, which has not been counted but is hoped to be more than last year's fundraising total of 3,500.
Nick said: "At the moment we just have buckets of cash that we need to count but people were very generous. The army cadets were collecting on our behalf and a couple of people stopped them to put 50 notes in the bucket, which has never happened before.
"It was a really good day for fundraising and everyone supported the charity."
The popular race was resurrected last year following a campaign after a two-year absence owing to complaints and concerns over how big the race was becoming. Prior to that, it had run successfully for 10 years and raised thousands of pounds for charity.
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Weather for Stamford
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
