What is the Grand Duck Race?
The Grand Duck Race is the much-anticipated culmination of the Street Fair and always draws a large crowd. 2000 toy ducks race their way along Bow Wow. Make sure to grab your spot by the riverside to see the ducks battle their way through the many obstacles in their quest to be the first across the finish line and claim the right to be called the champion! Will your duck be the victor?
How did it all start?
Back in 1989, some residents in the village formed a new tennis club and set about raising money to build two new tennis courts. Each member committed to raise funds from an event they would personally organise. After much thought, Mike Turner thought it would be a great idea to have a Duck Race which would enable everyone in our village to get involved and have some fun. After buying 600 plastic ducks from a shop in Bristol he brought them back to his cottage in Upper Up and numbered them all from 1 to 600, you can imagine what the cottage floor looked like during this process! The ducks were then ‘sold’ for £1 each ready for the first race which took place on a hot sunny day on 15 July 1989. There was also a ‘Best Dressed Duck’ Competition and the winner was Katharine Fenton, who is now one of the key organisers today! The first duck race raised over £500. What was originally a rather novel event, with very few duck races taking place in the country, it has now become one of the largest duck races in the South West. Along with the ever-growing Street Fair organised by All Hallows Church it has raised well over £100,000 for good causes locally as well as supporting the great work of our local church.
Where does the duck race money go?
2023 Duck Race Money Allocation
The following organisations have benefitted from the £10,000 raised from the 2023 Duck race:
Ann Edwards School
Playgroup
All Hallows Church,
Toddler group
Cerney Wick village
Scouts,
Cubs and Beavers
Brownies
R-Way youth Group
Youth Football Club
Phoenix charitable Trust
Severn Freewheelers Blood bikes
Stragglers running group
Bowls Club
Café Society
Cutts Charity
British Legion,
Cricket Club
Tennis Club
Cheer Leading group
Gardening Club
2022 Duck Race Money Allocation
The following organisations have benefitted from the £7100 raised from the 2022 Duck race:
The playgroup – towards an outdoor classroom
Ann Edwards School – cooking equipment, books and other resources
Brownies – pizza express trip and resources
Youth football club – balls and bibs
Cubs and Scouts – new tents
R-Way – trips to Lake 86 and the Forest School
Bowls club – towards and new shed
Men’s shed – equipment
Café society – hire of the hall
Village defib training
Cotswold Lakes Trust – maintenance projects
Village cheer leading group –pom poms
Benefice Parish Office – new computer
Ukrainian family in the village
Severn Freewheelers,
Community orchard – more trees
South Cerney acts of kindness – resources